U.S. Requests Access to Scholar Held in Iran

The U.S. is requesting access to the Iranian-American scholar being held in Iran, according to a State Department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. has requested consular access to Haleh Esfandiari through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, said the official, the usual channel of communications between the United States and Iran since the two countries severed diplomatic ties after the Iranian revolution decades ago. Iran has not yet responded to the U.S. request. The official also tells ABC News the U.S. has reached out to other countries for support. The official says the overall response has been favorable, with at least Japan saying they would try to help. Esfandiari’s status as a dual Iranian and American citizen complicates U.S. requests for consular access. The Vienna Convention, which governs consular access, does not cover dual nationals so international law in that regard remains unclear. Esfandiari has been charged with conspiracy to topple the government of Iran, according to Iranian State TV reports today. Her friends and family say the accusations are baseless. Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Esfandiari’s employer, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, says they do not believe Esfandiari has been formally charged. "We do not believe that any formal charges have been made," the Wilson Center said today. On May 15, Iran’s judiciary spokesman, Ali Reza Jamshidi, said Esfandiari was being investigated for crimes against national security. The U.S. State Department says it is looking into the reports that Esfandiari has been formally charged. State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey tells ABC News, "We’ve seen those reports. We assume that they are true, but have no independent confirmation." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called for Esfandiari’s immediate release. In response to Secretary Rice’s comments, her Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, said, "The Americans had better comment only within their own responsibilities and duties and avoid meddling with other countries’ affairs." Esfandiari was incarcerated on May 8 and sent to Iran’s harsh Evin Prison. Since then, according to the Wilson Center, she has only been afforded 10 to 11 brief phone calls to her 93-year-old mother in Iran to say that she is OK. According to the Wilson Center, which has spoken to her family, Esfandiari’s troubles began as she drove to the airport in Tehran to catch a flight back to her home in Washington, D.C., after visiting her ailing mother. She was robbed at knifepoint by masked men who took her bags and passport. When she went to get a new passport, she was pulled aside at the passport office and subjected to lengthy interrogations by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. Those interrogations continued for several weeks. A Feb. 20 letter by Wilson Center Director Lee Hamilton to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requesting Esfandiari’s release was not answered. Picture of Esfandiari is courtesy of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.