'Spying trial' for American hikers in Iran
Iran says three American hikers suspected of spying will face a criminal trial
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By Alex Plough.
Iran's foreign minister said on Monday that three Americans held by authorities on suspicion of spying will face a criminal trial, but did not specify a date or the charges.
The announcement will inflame relations between the two countries, currently locked in a standoff over Iran's nuclear programme, as many in the US think that Iran could use them as bargaining chips during negotiations.
The three US citizens, all graduates of the University of California at Berkeley, were arrested on July 31st after crossing the north Iraqi border into Iran.
Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, told a news conference in Tehran that the three had "entered Iran with suspicious aims. The judiciary will try them".
Relatives and the US government claim they were innocent tourists on an adventure hike in Iraq's Kurdistan province when they accidentally crossed the unmarked border into Iranian territory.
In late November, prosecutors told IRNA, Iran's official news agency, that the authorities were pursuing espionage charges against the Americans, named as Shane M Bauer, 27, of Emeryville, California; Joshua F. Fattal, 27, of Cottage Grove, Oregan; and Sarah E Shourd, 31, of Oakland, California.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said in November: "We believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever. And we would renew our request on behalf of these three young people and their families that the Iranian government exercise compassion and release them so they can return home."
Family members have said that, after their arrest, the three were taken to Iran's infamous Evin prison. As the US and Iran do not have direct diplomatic relations, the Swiss embassy maintains an American interests section. Swiss diplomats have visited the three in prison and they were reported to be in good physical shape.