国际英语新闻：Iran arrests American woman on espionage charges

TEHRAN, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iran arrested a 55-year old American woman on espionage charges, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

The local Farsi-language IRAN newspaper said the woman who had set spying equipment in her teeth and entered Iran without visa via Armenia border was arrested by the security guards.

"The American woman whose name is Hall Talayan and had set technical spying equipment, microphone in her teeth was arrested by the (Iranian) customs guards in Nordouz," said the report without specifying the time of the detention.

The woman who was arrested last week told Iran's customs officials that if she was returned to Armenia, she would be killed by Armenian security forces, an unnamed informed source told the semi-official Fars news agency.

Nordouz is a town in northwestern Iran bordering non-Muslim state of Armenia.

Currently, two detained U.S. hikers, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, are held in an Iranian prison over unlawful entry into Iran 's territory and on espionage charges. Another female U.S. hiker Sarah Shourd, once jailed in Iran with another two U.S. hikers, was released by Tehran's prosecutor in September on bail of 500, 000 U.S. dollars due to her health situation.