The mothers of three Americans detained in Iran said Thursday they've held off on hiring a lawyer for their children and are still hopeful they will be freed without being put on trial despite being left in the dark by authorities about their case.

It's been almost five months since the three were taken captive in Iran for allegedly straying across the country's border and almost two months since their families have had any word on their condition.

Iran's foreign minister said Monday the three would be tried in court _ but their mothers have not been able to confirm that with Iranian authorities. An Iranian prosecutors has accused them of espionage, something the mothers also haven't been able to confirm.

"We just feel the Iranians have had almost five months to look at our children, and we really believe they know and understand the kids are innocent and if anything, what they did was an accident," said Laura Fattal, the mother of Josh Fattal. She spoke by phone to The Associated Press from her home in suburban Philadelphia.

Fattal, 27, along with Shane Bauer, 27, and Sarah Shourd, 31 _ all graduates of the University of California at Berkeley _ had been trekking in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region when they accidentally crossed the border, according to their relatives.

The U.S. has no diplomatic relationship with Iran. Since the three were captured, the only word on their condition came after two prison visits by Swiss diplomats, who represent U.S. interests in Iran. The last prison visit was at the end of October, with the diplomats reporting the three appeared healthy. Family members say the Swiss have requested more visits but have been denied.

"We're being stonewalled, and it's tough not to have any information," said Shourd's mother, Nora Shourd, of Oakland, Calif. "We can only fill in the blanks."

The three captives are by no means the only high-profile case of Americans being detained in Iran amid an increasingly bitter standoff between the U.S. and Iran over the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program.

Roxana Saberi, a dual American-Iranian citizen who had been working as a freelance journalist in Tehran, was released from an Iranian prison in May after almost five months in captivity _ but only after she was tried and convicted of spying for the U.S.

Saberi, who maintained her innocence, was initially sentenced to eight years in prison. An appeals court reduced that to two years and then soon released her.