Washington, July 31 (BNA) U.S President Barack Obama today called for the immediate release of three U.S. hikers who have been held in Iran for almost a year.
Obama said in a statement released today that the three, Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd, have never worked for the U.S. government and committed no crime before they were detained July 31, 2001. "For a full year, they have been held in prison, causing extraordinary grief and uncertainty for them, for their families, and for their loved ones," he said. Obama said their detention has nothing to do with the differences between the U.S. and Iranian governments. The U.S. has been pushing for tougher sanctions against Iran in response to its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons. E M BNA 1055 GMT 2010/07/31