The US military in Iraq freed two Iranian prisoners from its custody on Friday, an Iranian diplomat at Tehran's embassy in Baghdad told AFP.
"Two Iranians have been freed by the Americans after co-operation with the office of the prime minister (Nuri al-Maliki) and the Iranian embassy," an Iranian diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The diplomat declined to give any further details about the two Iranians who were freed.
The US military did not immediately respond to requests to confirm the prisoners' release.
The United States has detained several Iranian citizens in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion to oust now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein. It accuses Tehran of training and arming Shiite militant groups.
Iran has detained three Americans on July 31 last year after they strayed across the Islamic republic's border while on a hiking trip in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region.
The release of the two Iranian prisoners in Iraq came as the mothers of the three US hikers called for them to be freed as a "humanitarian gesture".
Iran has given no official indication it is preparing to release the three, although the visit itself was seen as a breakthrough.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
