US hikers held in Iran are spies: intelligence minister

by Farhad Pouladi

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran's intelligence minister on Wednesday accused three US hikers in custody for the past 10 months of being spies, just hours before their mothers were expected in Tehran, ISNA news agency reported.

Nora Shourd (R), Cindy Hickey (L) and Laura Fattal (back-R), mothers of US hikers detained in Iran, hold roses upon their arrival at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran. The mothers of three US hikers detained in Iran for the past 10 months on espionage accusations flew in to Tehran on Wednesday to visit their children for the first time.

"Iran acted in accordance with Islamic teachings and in a humanitarian way," the news agency quoted Heydar Moslehi as saying, referring to a decision by Iran to grant visas for the mothers to travel to Tehran to see their children.

Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27, were detained on July 31 after straying across Iran's border in what they described as a mistake while on a hiking trip in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region.

The trio are being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Washington insists they are innocent and should be released.

"Despite their being spies and entering Iran illegally, they were dealt with according to religious teachings and in a humanitarian way," Moslehi said.

"We have to see how the Americans will react towards the innocent Iranians kidnapped and transferred there," he added.

In December, Iranian media published a list of 11 Iranians they said were being held by the United States or other countries.

They added that Iran's foreign ministry was pressing "vigorously" for the release of the 11, three of whom have allegedly been detained in countries outside the United States at Washington's request.

The hikers' lawyer, Masoud Shafii, told AFP the mothers were due in Tehran later on Wednesday and would meet up with their children the next day.

They were due in at Tehran airport at around 9:30 pm (1700 GMT), he said on the telephone, adding that the women would be welcomed by the Swiss ambassador, whose country represents US interests in Iran.

"The mothers also want to meet up with officials, but I do not have any details," Shafii said.

Moslehi first made the allegation that the trio were spies in April when he said Iran had "compelling evidence that three Americans were cooperating with intelligence services."

In March, Tehran public prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the three faced espionage charges.

But last December, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said they were accused of entering the country illegally.

The three mothers were excited and emotional as they left the United States for Iran, after having been granted visas last week.

"This is a day we've been waiting for," Nora Shourd, mother of 31-year-old Sarah Shourd said, while Laura Fattal, mother of Josh Fattal, said she would be "wildly happy" if she could bring her son home with her.

The mothers said they did not know if they would be meeting with high-ranking officials and that their main concern was the well-being of their children.

Washington has had no diplomatic relations with Tehran since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution and Swiss diplomats acted as go-betweens to broker the mothers' visit.

Iran has given no official indication it is preparing to release the trio although the visit itself was seen as a breakthrough.

Ties between Tehran and Washington have been poisoned for decades, with tensions now focused on theIslamic republic's controversial nuclear programme, suspected by Western powers of being cover for aweapons drive.

Tehran has detained several US-Iranians on suspicion of harming national security, including academic Kian Tajbakhsh who was jailed for five years following protests in the wake of last June's disputed presidential election.

Mystery also surrounds the fate of former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who went missing on the Iranian island of Kish in March 2007. Iranian officials say they have no information on him.