Iran said yesterday it would try three Americans jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki did not say when proceedings would begin or specify the charge other than to say the Americans had “suspicious aims.” Last month, however, authorities accused the Americans of spying.
There are concerns in the US that Iran could use the three as bargaining chips in talks over its nuclear program or in seeking the return of Iranians its says are missing.
Relatives and the US government say the three were innocent tourists on an adventure hike in northern Iraq and accidentally crossed into Iran, where they were arrested on July 31.
“They will be tried by Iran’s judiciary system and verdicts will be issued,” Mottaki said at a news conference, without elaborating.
The trio — Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27 — were detained after crossing an unmarked border.
At a Nov. 9 news conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran’s judiciary would deal with the Americans, and he noted that Tehran accuses the US of holding several of its citizens.
In particular, he drew a link between the case of the three Americans and the trial in the US of Amir Hossein Ardebili, an Iranian who faces up to 140 years in prison after pleading guilty to plotting to ship sensitive US military technology to Iran.
According to court papers, Ardebili worked as a procurement agent for the Iranian government and acquired thousands of components, including military aircraft parts, night vision devices, communications equipment and Kevlar.
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