AN Iranian court yesterday set bail of $500,000 (€365,000) each for two American men arrested more than two years ago and convicted on spy charges, clearing the way for their release.

THE lawyer for two American men arrested more than two years ago in Iran and convicted on charges that include espionage said yesterday he will appeal the verdict and his clients’ eight-year prison sentences.

Two American men arrested more than two years ago while hiking along the Iraq-Iran border have been sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage and illegally entering Iran, state TV reported today.

AN IRANIAN court held closed-door proceedings yesterday in the espionage trial of three Americans — two in custody and one freed on bail — whose 18-month detention has been the subject of impassioned family appeals and backdoor outreach by Washington through an Arab ally in the Gulf.

IRAN has ordered an American woman to return to the country and stand trial alongside two other Americans accused of spying.

Iran has ordered an American woman to return to the country and stand trial alongside two other Americans accused of spying.

Iranian authorities have detained a 55-year-old American woman on spying charges, a state-owned newspaper reported today.

An American woman released from Iran after more than 13 months in custody began her journey back to the US today after asking her supporters to “extend your prayers” to her fiance and another American man who remain in Tehran accused of spying.

An American woman released by Iran after more than a year in prison flew out of the country tonight to the nearby Gulf nation of Oman to be reunited with her mother.

A senior Iranian prosecutor said today that authorities will release a jailed American woman on $500,000 (€393,000) bail because of health problems, another sudden about-face by Iran in a case that has added to tension with the United States.

IRAN will release one of the three detained American hikers accused of espionage tomorrow, an official said last night.

One of three Americans jailed for more than a year will be released on Saturday, Iran said today.

Three American hikers jailed in Iran met their families today in an emotional reunion for the first time since their arrest 10 months ago.

IRAN said yesterday it would try three Americans jailed since crossing the border from Iraq in July, a step certain to aggravate the US at a time when Tehran is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear programme.

IRAN has officially confirmed that it has arrested three Americans who crossed into its territory from Iraq, White House national security adviser Jim Jones said in Washington yesterday.

NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Il has issued a “special pardon” for two American journalists and ordered their release at former US president Bill Clinton’s request, North Korean state media reported yesterday.