US hikers' mothers seek Iran trip

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The mothers of three US hikers who are being held in Tehran for crossing into Iran illegally want to travel to the country to meet the president.

Cindy Hickey, Norah Shourd and Laura Fattal have written a letter to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In it, they say they would be honoured to tell him in person why their children "do not deserve to continue to be held in detention".

The three hikers have been held for more than 200 days in Evin prison.

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were seized by Iranian border guards on 31 July 2009 near the town of Marivan. They have been accused of spying and illegal entry.

'Lost travellers'

But their families say they crossed the border into Iran accidentally while hiking in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region.

Their mothers said the three friends had not been allowed to make any phone calls or to write letters.

"For more than three months, we have no independent information about our children's health or their state of mind," they wrote in the letter released on Monday.

"We cannot explain why for more than six months, Iran has not found it in its heart to demonstrate magnanimity toward our children - young travellers whose only mistake appears to have been to lose their way on a hiking vacation," the letter said.

In an interview with Iranian state TV at the beginning of February, President Ahmadinejad said there were ongoing negotiations about a possible prisoner swap in exchange for several Iranians jailed in the US.

But US National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said the US had not entered "into any discussion with Iran about an exchange".

The letter by the three mothers ends with a personal appeal to Mr Ahmadinejad in his role as a father: "You too are a parent, Mr President.

"Surely you understand the depth of our distress, and the hopelessness we feel after appealing to you time and again to show our children the compassion they deserve, irrespective of their land of birth."