Being in prison won't stop the American hikers jailed for crossing into Iran in July from continuing to live their lives. Shane Bauer has just proposed to Sarah Shourd, giving her a ring that he made with thread taken from his shirt, reports. Their mothers, who visited them in Iran last week, are delighted by the news, although saddened that they had to return to the U.S. without securing their children's freedom.
Iran has not formally charged the three American hikers–the third one, Josh Fattal, will be best man at the wedding–and they have not been allowed to see their attorneys. Iran's Intelligence Minister Haidar Moslehi has called the three Americans “spies” on state TV.
The U.S. has no official diplomatic relations with Iran and has just imposed new sanctions as a reaction to Iran's nuclear-power-building activity. But Moslehi is willing to discuss an exchange of prisoners if the U.S. returns the favor of making a humanitarian gesture like Iran did when it allowed the hikers' mothers to see their incarcerated children.
You can read the by Joshua Hammer about the hikers in ϳԹ's .
–Aileen Torres