Bailed U.S.-Iranian academic leaves Iran

By Hossein Jaseb

TEHRAN (Reuters) - A U.S.-Iranian academic, freed on bail last month after more than three months in detention over spying accusations, flew out of Iran overnight and her case may not come to trial, one of her lawyers said on Monday.

Haleh Esfandiari, 67, was detained on May 8 on a visit to see her elderly mother and released on bail of 3 billion rials (about 160,000 pounds) on August 21.

A judiciary office official said she would forfeit bail if she did not return for any trial, if one was ordered. But the lawyer, one of a group defending Esfandiari, said it was likely the case would not reach that stage due to lack of evidence.

"After a long and difficult ordeal, I am elated to be on my way back to my home and my family. These last eight months, that included 105 days in solitary confinement in Evin Prison, have not been easy," the Web site for the educational foundation she worked for quoted her.

"I am sure everyone will understand my need, now, for a period of quiet and privacy before I resume my normal activities," Esfandiari said on the Web site for the U.S. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Her detention and the case of three other dual nationals -- two of them still detained and another free on bail -- have stoked tensions with Iran's old foe, the United States.

Iran has accused Esfandiari of involvement in what it says is a U.S.-led plot to topple its clerical establishment in a "soft revolution". Washington dismissed the allegation.

"She (Esfandiari) took her passport last night and left Tehran," lawyer Abdol-Fattah Soltani told Reuters. He said she would probably return if a trial was ordered but said it was not clear if any trial would go ahead.