Iran confirms arrests of 3 U.S. hikers

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Iran confirmed Saturday it is holding three American hikers who may have strayed across the border from Kurdistan, Kurdish sources say.

An unnamed senior Kurdish intelligence official told the Los Angeles Times Tehran has confirmed detaining the hikers, saying they had entered Iran without permission.

Qubad Talabani, the Kurdish regional government's representative in Washington, told the Times officials were notified of the Americans' plight by a friend who said the trio had called Friday to say they had been surrounded by armed men. The two men and a woman reportedly haven't been heard from since.

The newspaper's source said the Iranians have indicated the three are being held in the Iranian border town of Marivan.

There has been no official confirmation from Tehran that the hikers are being held. The U.S. embassy told the Times it couldn't confirm the reports and indicated it was conducting its own investigation.

Observers say the scenic border between Iran and the Kurdish autonomous zone is not clearly marked in the area where the tourists were arrested.