Iran charges American journalist

TEHRAN, Iran - An American journalist jailed for more than two months in Iran has been charged with espionage, her lawyer said Wednesday, dashing hopes of a quick release days after her parents arrived in the country seeking her freedom.

Roxana Saberi, who grew up in Fargo, N.D., and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Iran, has been living in Iran for six years. She has reported from there for several news organizations, including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp.

The announcement of spying charges got the attention of the Obama administration, which has been pushing for her release.

“We are deeply concerned by the news that we’re hearing,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters at the State Department, adding that the administration has asked Swiss diplomats in Iran for the “most accurate, up-to-date information” on Saberi. Though the United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran, it has an interests section at the Swiss Embassy.