Iraq's foreign minister says he has asked Iran for information about
the three Americans being held in Iran for allegedly crossing the
border without permission.
Hoshyar Zebari says he brought up
the Americans during a meeting this week with Iran's Ambassador Hassan
Kazemi Qomi, but he does not give further details about the
conversation.
The United States does not have diplomatic ties
with Iran and is working through the Swiss embassy in Tehran to obtain
information on the hikers.
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh
Fattal were detained by Iranian authorities on July 31 after allegedly
crossing the border while hiking in the mountains of Iraq's Kurdistan
region.
Iranian television has described the three as spies.
Shon
Meckfessel, a friend who says he stayed behind at an Iraqi hotel
because he was sick, has said the other hikers made a "simple and very
regrettable mistake."
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
News
