Iraq mediates in releasing U.S. hikers kept in Iran

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 15 /Trend T.Konyayeva/
Iraqi President Jalal Talibani held talks with the Iranian top officials on the release of two Americans accused of espionage and illegal border crossing, Talibani’s representative in Iran Nasim Dabah said, Sherg News Daily reported.
The Iranian side has agreed to hand over two American citizens to the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran, by late this week.
Iran's Revolutionary Court has agreed Tuesday to release two U.S. citizens under $500,000 bail for each, Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Their lawyer Massoud Shafee confirmed that he received the Court’s decision and submitted it to the Swiss Embassy and to their parents. "After the bail is posted, the U.S. citizens will be released," he added.
Early Tuesday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with NBC News that two American nationals will be freed this week.
Later, Iran's Judiciary had refuted media reports on their release.
Joshua Fattal, along with Shane Bauer, and Sarah Shourd, were arrested in the western Iranian district of Marivan, at the Malakh-Khur border point, in 2009, while they were hiking near Iran's border with Iraq. They were charged with illegally crossing the border and espionage.
Shourd was released in September, 2010 on health grounds after posting 500,000 dollars in bail, and returned to the United States.