The Obama administration has renewed calls for Iran to release three American hikers, following reports that they will be charged with espionage.
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Joshua Fattal strayed over the border between Iran and northern Iraq in late July, and have been detained ever since.
The official IRNA news agency reported on Monday that they would face charges of spying.
Here's what US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had to say about the accusations.
Unfortunately, this is not the first incident of its kind the administration has had to contend with. Earlier this year, Iran wrongfully convicted FSN's former employee Roxana Saberi of espionage. Her sentence was ultimately overturned, and she was allowed to return home.
It's not yet clear what kind of action - if any - Washington may take to try to secure the hikers' release...In September, in an interview with the American tv network NBC, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested that their fate might be linked to the release of Iranian diplomats he said were being held by US troops in Iraq.
Kate Moody, Washington DC
