Detained U.S. hikers moved to Tehran

(NECN/ABC) - The fate of three American hikers taken into custody in Iran after straying over the Iraq-Iran border, remains unclear. Their families, in a statement released yesterday, maintain they are simply young adventurers with a love of travel and diverse cultures and urge their speedy return. Unlikely, now that the three have been moved from the border region to the country's capital, Tehran. In pursuit of an Iraqi waterfall, three American hikers were arrested by Iranian officials after straying over the border dividing the two countries. A week and a half after Shane Bauer, Sara Shourd and Joshua Fattal were detained, Iran officially acknowledged the three are in custody. They've released no more information. Just days ago, two U.S. journalists were reunited with their families on U.S. soil after former President Clinton secured their release from North Korea. The families of the three hikers are hoping for a happy ending as well, saying in their first statement: "We believe that when the Iranian authorities speak to our children, they will realize they had no intention of entering iran and will allow them to leave the country and reunite with their families." That scenario seems unlikely now that the hikers have been moved to Tehran. "Iran has obligations under the Vienna Convention, and we demand consular access at the first opportunity," said the U.S. State Department. Iran has shown no sign of any willingness to cooperate in their release. In fact, State News reports say the three are suspected of being western journalists, not the hapless hikers a tea seller in Kurdistan recalled. "After drinking their tea, they paid me and left. The road they took leads to Iran," said Suheib Abass, a tea seller in Kurdistan. "There should have been a guide with them." Kurdish officials say the area the hikers set out to find has no signs indicating the nearby Iraq/Iran border. Diana Alvear of ABC News reports