General News
11/9/2009 10:46 AM ET
(RTTNews) -
Three young Americans detained in Iran since July over alleged illegal entry have been charged with espionage, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday quoting Tehran's Prosecutor-General.
Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27, have been held since the end of July by Iranian authorities after they strayed into Iran from northern Iraq.
Their families say the trio crossed a poorly marked border by mistake while hiking in Iraq's Kurdish region.
The US has voiced deep concern about their detention. Both the government as well as their families urged release of the three hikers.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who met their families last week, said in Berlin Monday, "We believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever."
IRNA quoted Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as saying that investigations are being held into charges of espionage.
Diplomats of Switzerland, who represent US government's interests in Iran, were allowed to meet the trio in late September for the first time since their arrest.
US has no diplomatic relations with Iran for nearly three decades.
by RTT Staff Writer
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