Iraq asks Iran about 3 detained Americans

BAGHDAD — Iraq's foreign minister has asked the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the detention of three Americans, an act that put pressure on already strained relations between the U.S. and Tehran.

Iraq is caught between its two largest allies, putting the Iraqi government in the uncomfortable position of balancing relations with two countries at odds.

Iran has said it is holding the Americans for illegally entering the country, and a prominent Iranian lawmaker has said authorities were investigating whether to charge them with spying. The State Department has dismissed allegations of spying. Kurdish authorities have said the three were hikers who accidentally strayed across the border.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari asked about the detained Americans during a meeting Thursday with the ambassador, according to a statement posted on the ministry Web site.

The statement did not provide details about the conversation, and it was not known whether the ambassador provided any information.

Freelance journalist Shane Bauer, Sara Shourd and Josh Fattal were detained on July 31 after apparently straying across the border while hiking in Iraq's northern Kurdish region.

Iraqi authorities have said the area is poorly marked. Iran and Iraq share an 800 mile (1,280 kilometer) border. The two countries have long-standing disagreements over border issues, including the demarcation line of a waterway in southern Iraq.

The Swiss Embassy in Tehran has been trying to learn more about the status of the Americans through its contacts with the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of American-Iranian diplomatic relations.

Associated Press Writer Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report.