Iran charges three detained Australians with spying

Iran has charged three detained Australians with spying, Tasnim news agency reported yesterday, citing judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili. Two of the Australians were alleged to have used a drone to take pictures of military sites, while a third was accused of spying for another country, Esmaili said in the report, without naming them. It was the first official confirmation that Australians have been detained in Iran after the families of three of them said last week they had been arrested in the Islamic republic. They identified them as a travel-blogging couple Jolie King and Mark Firkin and Melbourne University lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert. Australia has said it is providing consular assistance for the three detainees.