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