DUBAI (REUTERS) - Iran's judiciary on Tuesday (Sept 17) confirmed the detention of three Australian citizens that was announced last week by the Australian government, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.

"Two of them had taken pictures in military areas and the third (was detained) for spying for a third country," Fars quoted judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili as saying.

"The court will decide whether this person (detained for spying) is guilty or not." Australia's Foreign Ministry had said it was providing consular assistance to the families of three Australians detained in Iran after Britain's Times newspaper reported that two British-Australian women and the Australian boyfriend of one of them had been detained in Iran.