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But relatives of the three in the United States angrily rejected the charges. "The allegation that our loved ones may have been engaged in espionage is untrue," they said in a statement.
"It is entirely at odds with the people Shane, Sarah and Josh are and with anything that Iran can have learned about them since they were detained on July 31."
The three have been held for more than 100 days "simply because they apparently strayed into Iran by accident while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan."
The relatives again called on Iranian officials "to show compassion to our loved ones and release them without delay. This has already gone on for too long."
Jerry Sanders, chair of the Peace and Conflict Studies department at the University of California-Berkeley, where he was an adviser to Bauer, also dismissed the accusations.
"That's the most patently absurd thing I've ever heard. This is beyond satire. It's so far off the mark," Sanders told AFP, adding that although Bauer spoke Arabic he did not know any Farsi.
"He's someone who has always taken a very independent stance. In fact he's working as a freelance journalist and that's the last thing he would want. That would be the kiss of death for him as an independent journalist."
US officials have called for the three to be quickly released.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Berlin there was "no evidence" for Iran to charge the Americans, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the three "are innocent young people" whose release "should be expedited."
Family and friends of the three have said they were hiking in a mountainous border region in northern Iraq near a famous waterfall when they unintentionally strayed into Iran.
A friend who was scheduled to go on the hike but cancelled because he fell ill appealed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week to free the three as soon as possible.
"Mr President, by continuing to deprive Shane, Sarah and Josh of their liberty, Iran is working against some of the very causes it supports," Shon Meckfessel wrote.
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Image: AFP/Fattal Family-HO/File.
"It is entirely at odds with the people Shane, Sarah and Josh are and with anything that Iran can have learned about them since they were detained on July 31."
The three have been held for more than 100 days "simply because they apparently strayed into Iran by accident while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan."
The relatives again called on Iranian officials "to show compassion to our loved ones and release them without delay. This has already gone on for too long."
Jerry Sanders, chair of the Peace and Conflict Studies department at the University of California-Berkeley, where he was an adviser to Bauer, also dismissed the accusations.
"That's the most patently absurd thing I've ever heard. This is beyond satire. It's so far off the mark," Sanders told AFP, adding that although Bauer spoke Arabic he did not know any Farsi.
"He's someone who has always taken a very independent stance. In fact he's working as a freelance journalist and that's the last thing he would want. That would be the kiss of death for him as an independent journalist."
US officials have called for the three to be quickly released.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Berlin there was "no evidence" for Iran to charge the Americans, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the three "are innocent young people" whose release "should be expedited."
Family and friends of the three have said they were hiking in a mountainous border region in northern Iraq near a famous waterfall when they unintentionally strayed into Iran.
A friend who was scheduled to go on the hike but cancelled because he fell ill appealed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week to free the three as soon as possible.
"Mr President, by continuing to deprive Shane, Sarah and Josh of their liberty, Iran is working against some of the very causes it supports," Shon Meckfessel wrote.
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Image: AFP/Fattal Family-HO/File.
