Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter and former Tehran bureau chief who was held in Iran for a year and a half and freed in January, has filed suit against the Iranian government in federal court. Rezaian alleges that he was used by that country as leverage during negotiations of the landmark nuclear agreement with the United States and other major powers. The lawsuit was filed by Rezaian and his family in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and claims, among other allegations, that he was taken against his will and tortured so that the Iranian government could “extort” the U.S. government. According to the lawsuit, Rezaian and his wife, Yeganah Salehi, who was also thrown in prison, were told they had “value” for future negotiations.