Published: May 23, 2010
NEW YORK: The mothers of three US hikers held in Iran for nearly a year on spying accusations returned home Saturday empty-handed, after failing to secure their children's release.
"The pain of having to leave Tehran without our children is almost more than we can bear," Nora Shourd said after landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport aboard an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai.
She thanked Iranian officials for letting them see their children but expressed the group's frustration at being unable to return with their loved ones.
"We will forever savor the precious moments we were able to spend with our children," said Cindy Hickey.
During an emotional reunion with their children before the cameras on Thursday, the mothers had appealed fro the trio's release as a "humanitarian gesture" from Iran.
Hickey is the mother of Shane Bauer, 27, who remains behind bars with his girlfriend, 31-year-old Sarah Shourd, and their friend Josh Fattal, 37.
They were detained on July 31 after crossing Iran's border during a hiking trip in norther Iraq's Kurdistan region. Iran has accused them of espionage but their families say that if the trio crossed the border, it was merely by accident.
The mothers' three-day visit was brokered by the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which looks after US interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic ties. Nora Shourd said the mothers had spent 10 hours with their children, including several hours in private.
She said the hikers were "well-treated" and "in reasonable health."
"Nonetheless, the emotional strain on them and the loneliness is very difficult. And they told us they just cannot understand why they are still in jail."
On Friday, the American mothers, who have been very vocal about their children's case, reportedly met with the mothers of Iranian diplomats detained by US forces in Iraq as Tehran sought to shine the spotlight on the issue.
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