Secretary of State Hillary Clinton renewed her calls for Iran to release all US citizens it is detaining immediately in a statement Saturday.
In this statement Clinton pointed to five cases: the three American hikers who crossed into Iran from Iraq in late July; a US-Iranian scholar; and a private detective and former FBI agent who went missing in Iran in 2007.
She said, Washington “is deeply concerned about the welfare of our American citizens who have been detained or are missing in Iran.” continuing with, “We once again urge Iran’s leadership to quickly resolve all outstanding American citizen cases.” Read more…
The protests may have slowed down, but Iran and it’s government hierarchy are still in turmoil. This Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fired two members of his cabinet. Many are seeing this act as another indicator that conservatives within Iran are at odds over how best to handle the protests following the controversial and contested election.
According to Iranian law, any president who fires 11 members of his cabinet must face a vote of confidence before the Iranian parliament. The two firings, according to CNN.com, would put Ahmadinejad past this threshold.
However, it is unclear whether both men will remain dismissed, or if one will return to avoid the vote of
confidence. The Iranian state media is claiming that only one person was really let go.
Back in the U.S., Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held firmly to the White House’s position on Iran’s protests saying that the country’s future “is really for the people to decide.”
Read CNN.com’s: Ahmadinejad may face vote of confidence in parliament