Scholar's husband raps press

WASHINGTON -- The husband of noted American scholar Haleh Esfandiari yesterday angrily denied allegations made in Iran's press during the weekend that the 67-year-old educator was trying to foment revolution inside Iran and was spying for both the United States and Israel.

The unofficial charges were made in Tehran's Kayhan newspaper, which is closely tied to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and reflects government views. The allegations against Esfandiari, who is director of the Middle East program at the Smithsonian Institution's Woodrow Wilson International Center of Scholars, offer the first indication of the case that Iran may be trying to craft against the Potomac, Md., resident. Although the Foreign Ministry finally confirmed her detention Sunday, no formal charges have been issued since she was imprisoned a week ago after more than four months under virtual house arrest and weeks of interrogations in Tehran.

Asked about Esfandiari's case during a weekend visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Ahmadinejad said, "This is within the jurisdiction of Iran's judiciary, which will provide information about the issue in due course," Iran's website reported yesterday.

Esfandiari's husband, Shaul Bakhash, yesterday rebutted allegations made in a front-page Kayhan article. Esfandiari had never been to Israel, nor worked with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, nor formed an "Iran office" for the Jewish organization or organized its conferences, nor worked with the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, nor been a Zionist, Bakhash said.