Ahmadinejad Promises to Free American Hikers

Two American hikers who have spent more than two years in an Iranian prison may be free within the week. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly promised to release the pair in two days, despite an eight-year prison sentence.

Ahmadinejad’s promise was made in an interview with NBC news that has not yet been aired. The network shared the revelation on Twitter on Tuesday.

It is not yet clear if Ahmadinejad has support from Iran’s powerful council of Muslim clerics, which must approve the release before it can become final.

Hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, were sentenced to prison for espionage and for illegally entering Iran. A third companion, Sarah Shourd, was released in 2010 on $500,000 bail on humanitarian grounds.

The three say they are anti-war activists who were on holiday, and believed that they were walking in a Kurdish region of Iraq. They argued that they were not aware they had crossed the Iranian border.

All three have campaigned against Israel as well as protesting the United States-led military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

{Arutz Sheva/Matzav.com Newscenter}