Gerald F Seib

Airport officials in Tehran said early today that American journalist Gerald F. Seib has left the Iranian capital en route to West Germany. Seib, a 30-year-old, Cairo-based correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, was detained Saturday during a government-sponsored press tour and had been accused of spying. Officials at the Tehran airport said in a telephone interview that Seib was aboard Lufthansa Flight 601 that left the airport at dawn today.

American reporter Gerald F. Seib, freed from captivity in Iran, hugged his wife in a joyful birthday celebration Friday and denied Iranian charges that he spied while there on an official press tour. "I am thrilled and thankful to be here," he said. "This happens to be my 31st birthday. And just being here is the best birthday present possible." He said he was not physically harmed during several days of custody in Iran.

Gerald F. Seib, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Tehran on Saturday, is the latest of more than a dozen foreign journalists who have been detained and accused of spying by Iran's revolutionary regime during the eight years of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's rule. Most have been released relatively quickly.

Airport officials in Tehran said early today that American journalist Gerald F. Seib has left the Iranian capital en route to West Germany. Seib, a 30-year-old, Cairo-based correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, was detained Saturday during a government-sponsored press tour and had been accused of spying. Officials at the Tehran airport said in a telephone interview that Seib was aboard Lufthansa Flight 601 that left the airport at dawn today.

Iran announced Wednesday that it will free Wall Street Journal reporter Gerald F. Seib "as soon as interrogations are complete" and permit him to leave the country today. Iran's official news organizations, Tehran radio and the Islamic Republic News Agency, said Seib will be expelled and will not be allowed to return. The State Department and the Wall Street Journal both said they have received no confirmation of the reports.

American reporter Gerald F. Seib, freed from captivity in Iran, hugged his wife in a joyful birthday celebration Friday and denied Iranian charges that he spied while there on an official press tour. "I am thrilled and thankful to be here," he said. "This happens to be my 31st birthday. And just being here is the best birthday present possible." He said he was not physically harmed during several days of custody in Iran.

The Iranian government has rebuffed all diplomatic approaches in the Gerald F. Seib case, U.S. officials said Tuesday, but an unconfirmed news agency account from Tehran said the Wall Street Journal reporter may be freed soon. The tiny South-North News Service, in a dispatch from Tehran, quoted unnamed officials at the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence as saying Seib's arrest Saturday was due to "mistakes and misunderstandings" and that he would be released in the next day or two.

The Reagan Administration, increasingly apprehensive that Wall Street Journal correspondent Gerald F. Seib has become the latest Middle East hostage, urged Iran on Monday to release the reporter, who so far has not been officially accused of any crime. Apparently hoping to avoid a new U.S. confrontation with the Tehran regime, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said that Seib's arrest Saturday by Iranian authorities may have been a simple mistake that Iran could easily correct. Other U.S.

Relatives and colleagues of American journalist Gerald F. Seib awaited his departure from Iran on Thursday, a day after he was ordered expelled by the Tehran government. Seib, who was arrested during a government-sponsored press tour and accused of spying, was believed to be safe with Swiss diplomats in Tehran, but there was no firm word on his whereabouts or departure plans.

Iran said today Wall Street Journal reporter Gerald F. Seib will be expelled Thursday, five days after he was arrested and accused of spying for Israel while visiting the country by government invitation. Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted an Information Ministry official as saying the decision to free and expel the 30-year-old American came after "a judicial probe into his case ended."

Iran announced Wednesday that it will free Wall Street Journal reporter Gerald F. Seib "as soon as interrogations are complete" and permit him to leave the country today. Iran's official news organizations, Tehran radio and the Islamic Republic News Agency, said Seib will be expelled and will not be allowed to return. The State Department and the Wall Street Journal both said they have received no confirmation of the reports.

The Iranian government has rebuffed all diplomatic approaches in the Gerald F. Seib case, U.S. officials said Tuesday, but an unconfirmed news agency account from Tehran said the Wall Street Journal reporter may be freed soon. The tiny South-North News Service, in a dispatch from Tehran, quoted unnamed officials at the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence as saying Seib's arrest Saturday was due to "mistakes and misunderstandings" and that he would be released in the next day or two.

The Reagan Administration, increasingly apprehensive that Wall Street Journal correspondent Gerald F. Seib has become the latest Middle East hostage, urged Iran on Monday to release the reporter, who so far has not been officially accused of any crime. Apparently hoping to avoid a new U.S. confrontation with the Tehran regime, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said that Seib's arrest Saturday by Iranian authorities may have been a simple mistake that Iran could easily correct. Other U.S.

Gerald F. Seib, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Tehran on Saturday, is the latest of more than a dozen foreign journalists who have been detained and accused of spying by Iran's revolutionary regime during the eight years of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's rule. Most have been released relatively quickly.

The Iranian government, which last week invited nearly 100 foreign journalists to cover its latest offensive against Iraq, has detained the Middle East correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Gerald F. Seib. Iranian officials from the government's Ministry of Guidance, which had accredited Seib, an American, refused to comment on why he was detained Saturday, two days after his passport was taken by government officials without explanation.

American reporter Gerald F. Seib, free from an Iranian jail, hugged his wife in a joyful birthday celebration today and denied Iran's charges that he spied while there on an official press tour. "I am thrilled and thankful to be here," he said. "This happens to be my 31st birthday. And just being here is the best birthday present possible." He said he was not physically harmed during several days of custody in Iran.