Iran to put three US hikers on trial

Iran is to put on trial three US hikers arrested after they “illegally“ entered Iran four months ago.

TEHRAN, December 14, 2009 (AFP) - Iran is to put on trial three US hikers arrested after they "illegally" entered Iran four months ago, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday.

"Interrogation of the three Americans who have illegally entered Iran with suspicious aims is ongoing. They will be put on trial by the judiciary and rulings will be made," Mottaki told a press conference carried live on state television.

Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27, were arrested July 31 after straying into Iranian territory during a hiking trip in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

Iran's public prosecutor said on November 9 the trio faced espionage charges but Mottaki said a day after that they were charged with illegal entry, alluding that espionage was still only an accusation.

The trio are held at Tehran's Evin prison in separate cells and with few visits allowed. Their friends and relatives denied that they were spies and US insisted that they be released.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on Iran to release the three and said the administration was "exploring every angle" to help them.

Earlier this month scores of prominent international figures also called on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to release them.

The case has further strained ties between Tehran and Washington which have had no diplomatic relations for nearly three decades.

The United States is also spearheading international efforts to curb Iran's atomic drive as Western powers fear Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian programme -- something that Iran vehemently denies.