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.