American Journo in Iran Charged as Spy

The Iranian-American journalist who has been held without charge in Tehran since January was officially charged with spying today, according to the prosecutor assigned to her case. Roxana Saberi "has accepted all the charges. She has been arrested under the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he told the Washington Post. Saberi's lawyer said he hasn't been shown the charges.

Initial reports said Saberi was arrested for buying alcohol; the change apparently went unexplained at today's proceeding. The prosecutor said Saberi is not considered a foreign national and alleged that she "was carrying out spying activities under the guise of being a reporter." Her lawyer, who hasn't been present at any of the official proceedings, said only that "there are different punishments for different levels of spying." (More Iran stories.)