Iran Widens Investigation Of Two Jailed Americans

[Hissyspit]

Source: Washington Post

Iran Widens Investigation Of Two Jailed Americans

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 11, 2007; Page A09

Iran announced yesterday that it had uncovered new evidence against two imprisoned Americans and had launched an expanded investigation into their alleged activities against the Islamic republic. The statement dashed hopes of any imminent breakthrough in the cases, after Iran announced last month that it was in the final stage of its probe and would announce whether the dual U.S.-Iranian nationals would be tried or freed within two or three days.

The two Americans are Haleh Esfandiari, a Potomac resident and director of the Middle East program at the Smithsonian's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Kian Tajbakhsh, a New York-based social scientist. Both have been charged with unspecified crimes against Iran's national security.

- snip -

In Washington, the State Department and Esfandiari's husband called the new allegations unwarranted. "It is obvious that the Ministry of Intelligence, lacking any real cause or evidence to keep my wife, Haleh, incarcerated in solitary confinement at Evin, is trying to drag things out by claiming continuing 'investigations,' " said George Mason University professor Shaul Bakhash, referring to a prison in Tehran.

In a further sign of Iran's clampdown, three Iranians who had been in the United States on a cultural exchange for documentary filmmakers had their passports confiscated upon their return to Tehran on Saturday and were instructed to report on Sunday to court, where they were told to await a further summons, according to U.S. officials. The State Department has declined to release the names of the three.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071000486.html?hpid=sec-world

[ohio2007]

1. I read an article about the wife of one american that disappeared in Iran months

ago is going to Iran to find out what happened to him.
I wonder if she will be considered a spy also?

[High Plains]

2. I don't know, but the fact that the US has a public "covert program"

to destablize the Iranian regime probably won't help.

[sanskritwarrior]

3. Can you prove this 2 gents are involved with said program?

otherwise why bring it up?

[pop goes the weasel]

4. they're women, not gents

I assume the reason the covert program was brought up is that the Iranian government will use it as a justification for intractable investigation of anyone. This is something that happens routinely when the US makes a big production of trying to recruit nationals as spies and revolutionaries, even though the bigger the talk, the less likely that anything is actually taking place. It's a stupid, stupid policy that actually undermines any authentic reform groups.

[ohio2007]

5. One belonged to a George Soros organization

something about international peace and human rights.

the mullahs pegged his organization as a spy group

[struggle4progress]

6. kick

:kick: