Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 16 /Trend T.Konyayeva/
The Sultanate of Oman is now involved in brokering the release of two Americans held in Iran, CNN reported.
In 2010, Omani sources paid $500,000 bail to help win the release of Sarah Shourd, who with her fiancé Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal was detained in 2009 after crossing an unmarked stretch of the Iran-Iraq border. 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.
Early Tuesday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with NBC News that two American nationals will be freed this week. Then, Iran's Revolutionary Court has agreed to release two U.S. citizens under $500,000 bail for each.
Later, Iran's Judiciary had refuted media reports on their release.
On Thursday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani held talks with the Iranian top officials on the release of two Americans accused of espionage and illegal border crossing, Talabani's representative in Iran Nasim Dabah said.
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, he added.