More than seven weeks ago, Iranian authorities detained Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post’s correspondent in Tehran, and his wife, the Iranian journalist Yeganeh Salehi. Government officials have refused to say where they are being held or why. Their continued detention is as mystifying as it is outrageous.

Mr. Rezaian, a respected and experienced reporter, holds American and Iranian citizenship and has worked in Tehran as a credentialed member of the press for several years. He suffers from high blood pressure, and his relatives say they fear that he might not have access to medication. Iran has detained several dual nationals, including reporters, in recent years. The authorities recently made the ludicrous argument that Mr. Rezaian’s arrest should be of no concern to the United States because he holds Iranian citizenship.

Close watchers of Iran’s murky politics suspect that Mr. Rezaian and Ms. Salehi became pawns in an internal political fight. Reformists in the government, including President Hassan Rouhani, have sought to cultivate closer ties with the West, drawing the ire of hard-liners who control the country’s security and intelligence agencies.

A freelance American-Iranian photojournalist detained along with Mr. Rezaian was released recently. Her case has bolstered the theory that these arrests are about political infighting because her family has close ties to powerful reformists.