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Source: Getty

In The Media

Why Release U.S. Hikers Now?

The decision by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to release two imprisoned American hikers is primarily part of an attempt to garner good will and demonstrate his political strength.

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By Karim Sadjadpour
Published on Sep 13, 2011
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Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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Source: CNN International

Speaking on CNN International, Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour explained that the decision by Iranian President Ahmadinejad to release the two imprisoned American hikers is “certainly not coincidental.” Last year, days before Ahmadinejad’s trip to the UN General Assembly, he released the third hiker, Sarah Shourd, to garner some good will. Sadjadpour sugegsted that it would appear he is doing the same thing this year.

Moreover, Sadjadpour added, Ahmadinejad has recently been weakened domestically, so he is trying to prove that he can still deliver politically. Iran has a long history of hostage taking, Sadjadpour concluded. In the years since the Islamic revolution, “Turkey and Dubai have built thriving economies based on the trading of goods and services while Iran has continued to trade in human beings,” he said.

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

    Recent Work

  • Q&A
    What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now

      Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

  • Q&A
    How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps

      Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour
Political ReformSecurityMiddle EastIranGulf

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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