Authors: Jeanette Torres
ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images(TEHRAN, Iran) -- Iran's judiciary is still reviewing the bail deal for detained American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, ABC News has confirmed.
On Tuesday, ABC News learned that bail had been set for the two men at $500,000 each. Their lawyer, Masoud Shafii, told ABC News that as soon as his clients could get the money together, they would be released from jail.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was hoping for the hikers' release before his trip to the U.N. next week, also expressed in an interview aired on Tuesday that the hikers would be released in a couple of days.
But that may not be possible. Thursday and Friday are not working days for judges in Iran, so the necessary paperwork may not be completed before Saturday.
Bauer and Fattal have been detained in Iran since July 31, 2009 for espionage. After crossing an unmarked border while hiking in northern Iraq, Iranian authorities claimed the two had illegally crossed over into their territory and charged them with spying for the U.S.
Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio
