Another Curve Ball from Iran on U.S. Prisoners
James Phillips /
In addition announcing the launch of a research rocket, three Iranian-made satellites, and a tactical shift on a proposed International Atomic Energy Agency deal on uranium, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threw another disingenuous curve ball yesterday by claiming that talks were underway with the United States for an exchange of prisoners.
In an interview on state television Tuesday, Ahmadinejad was asked about the fate of three American hikers detained in Iran and claimed that the United States, not Iran, was at fault: “They have arrested our citizens for nothing… this is very bad… now there are talks whether it is possible to do an exchange” of prisoners.
The White House on Tuesday denied it had held “any discussion” with Iran about a possible prisoner swap. Iran is holding a number of US citizens in custody, including three American hikers — Sarah Shourd, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer — arrested after mistakenly wandering over the Iraq border into Iranian territory last year. Iran has repeatedly rejected outside efforts to gain access to the three hikers to confirm that they are being held in good conditions.