Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced today that the three US citizens detained in July for illegally crossing the border would face charges of “illegally entering Iran with suspicious aims.”
The Americans crossed through the mountainous border with Iraqi Kurdistan, where they were staying as tourists. The “hikers” turned out to all be freelance journalists, however, raising speculation that the crossing was no accident.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that all the charges against the Americans were “unfounded” and that there was no basis for charging them with anything.
Though charges of illegally entering a nation would generally be minor, the growing tensions between the US and Iran has made the journalists a political chesspiece in the never-ending battle.
