Iranian media is reporting that former Newcastle woman Jolie King and her partner have been charged with spying after allegedly flying a drone over a military installation.
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The Tasnim and Far news agencies have quoted judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili as saying the travel bloggers have been charged after images were found on a drone they were using.
It is the first time the Tehran government has confirmed it his holding the pair and Melbourne academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was arrested last year in a separate incident.
"Criminal charges have been issued for both cases and they are waiting for their trial," Mr Esmaili was quoted as saying.
"One case is of two people taking photos of military sites and our forbidden areas."
His assertion that Dr Moore-Gilbert is awaiting trial runs counter to earlier reports that she had already been tried and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
EARLIER REPORT
Jolie King's friends and former work colleagues in Newcastle are praying for her safe return after weeks of imprisonment in Iran.
Ms King and her partner, former Coffs Harbour builder Mark Firkin, were reportedly arrested after allegedly flying a drone near Tehran, the Iranian capital, while on a cross-continental journey from Australia to the United Kingdom.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been working to secure the pair's release from prison.
Ms King is understood to be 28 years old and has apparently varied the spelling of her first name from Joely.
She grew up in Newcastle and went to Whitebridge High School before studying hairdressing at Tighes Hill TAFE.
She worked for several years at Nesbitt hair studio in Cooks Hill before she and Mr Firkin moved to Western Australia in 2015.
Ms King's family lives in Lake Macquarie.
The couple sold many of their possessions and embarked on their three-year odyssey in 2017, posting photographs and videos on a travel blog along the way.
One of Ms King's friends from Whitebridge High told the Newcastle Herald that she had her "fingers crossed" for her quick release.
"She has always been here and studied here. She packed up her life and quit work to travel. She loved it," the friend said.
Another school friend, Nikia Lance, said she had last seen Ms King when she acted as a model for her during a TAFE assessment.
"I couldn't think of a time when she had dramas of any sort with anyone, and I don't think anyone could say a bad word about her," she said.
"It's so incredible that she has been able to leave not only Newcastle but to travel the world and capture so many beautiful places.
"I never would have thought 10 years ago that any of us would be able to achieve what she has.
"But it's just heartbreaking to hear she has been taken away and put into the nightmare she has been forced to live the last two months.
"Nobody deserves this, but especially not someone with such positive energy.
"I really hope they both make it home soon."
Another woman who knew Ms King after school said she was a "lovely girl, very well respected" and her friends were "devastated".
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne told Parliament last week that the detainment of Ms King and Mr Firkin and the jailing last year of Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert was not politically motivated, despite growing tensions between Iran and the West.
"Given these conversations and the timing of the arrests, I can say these arrests do not relate to broader issues," Ms Payne said.
"We have no reason to think that these arrests are connected to international concern over Iran's nuclear program, United Nations sanctions or sanctions enforcement, or maritime security and the safety of civilian shipping."
Ms Payne said the government had been pressing Iran for their release since they were detained and she had communicated many times with her Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, including in face-to-face meetings.
DFAT said on Tuesday that the government did not intend to comment further.
The pair last posted to their Instagram account, which has 28,000 followers, on June 26 while travelling though the Naryn region in Kyrgyzstan.
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop offered on Sunday to help gain Ms King's and Mr Firkin's release, along with two other Australians being detained in Iran.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
