Hikers may face trial by Iranians

TEHRAN, Iran — A senior Iranian prosecutor accused three Americans detained on the border with Iraq of espionage on Monday, the first signal that Tehran intends to put them on trial.

The action could set up the Americans — who relatives say were hiking and strayed across the border from Iraq — as potential bargaining chips in Iran’s standoff with the West. The announcement came as Washington and Tehran were maneuvering over a deadlock in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad alleged the three crossed Iran’s border illegally, saying this was something any country would punish. Asked in Istanbul if he thought they were spies, he said:

“I have nothing to say about it. I have no opinion about it. It must be judged by the judiciary, whether they are spies or not. There are some Iranians who have spent many years in prison without doing anything wrong, in American prisons.”

The families of three American hikers accused of espionage by an Iranian prosecutor say the allegations are untrue and that their loved ones should be freed.

In a group statement released Monday, the families said the accusations are “entirely at odds” with the kind of people Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal are.

The Iranian government arrested the Americans on July 31 while hiking near the Iraqi border. Their families say the three accidentally strayed across the border from Iraq.

It’s not clear if the three have been formally charged, but a senior Iraqi prosecutor has accused them of espionage. That’s a signal that Tehran intends to put them on trial.