U.S. disputes spy charges against hikers

TEHRAN, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. State Department and White House spokesmen said they haven't received official confirmation that Iranian officials charged three U.S. hikers with spying.

Iranian officials Monday charged Shane Michael Bauer, 27, Joshua Felix Fattal, 27, and Sarah Emily Shourd, 31, with espionage after the three were arrested July 31 as they were traveling on Syrian and Iraqi visas and crossed the Iran-Iraq border illegally, Iran's government-supported Press TV reported.

"If it is true that they have been formally charged, we would find this outrageous," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said during a news briefing.

Repeating what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier, Kelly said, "We believe that there is no evidence for these kinds of charges. We renew our request on behalf of these three young people and their families that the Iranian government exercise compassion and let them return to their families."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also said the United States hasn't received confirmation about the charges, adding. "(These) three hikers -- Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd -- are innocent young people who should be released by the Iranian government. And their release should be expedited."

Kelly said the Swiss Embassy in Tehran was acting on the United States' behalf, and Swiss officials have visited the three several times.

Tehran Prosecutor-General Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi said the three entered the country to carry out acts of espionage.

"They are charged with espionage. Investigations into the case of the three are under way," Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Jafari-Dolatabadi as saying.