RTT

Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle confirmed the German nationality of the two foreign reporters detained in Iran earlier this week. The two reporters were held by Iranian authorities for interviewing the son of a woman sentenced to death by stoning. The foreign minister said he was doing everything possible to secure their release.

Westerwelle said the German Embassy in Iran has sent a team to the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz to try and gain access to the detained reporters. He has appealed to his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki to take the issue up in person.

"We are working with urgency to resolve this case," Westerwelle said. "We are working on all diplomatic levels and using all diplomatic channels to pursue the freeing of these two Germans and returning them to Germany as soon as possible."

Though Westerwelle did not identify the two journalists or their employer, several unconfirmed media reports had suggested earlier that the detained duo were reporters working for the German tabloid Bild am Sonntag.

On Monday, Iran had announced the arrest of two "foreign nationals" without proper media credentials for interviewing the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning on charges of adultery and murder.

Ashtiani, a mother of two, was convicted in 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with two men, and was sentenced to death by stoning in July. But her sentencing was suspended later, pending a review after her case evoked an international outcry.

Ashtiani, however, could still be hanged, as she is also charged with involvement in her husband s murder. She had denied the accusations during her trial, and is reportedly being held in Tabriz prison. She has already received 99 lashes as a part of her sentence.

ranian public prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie said Monday that the two detained foreign nationals had entered the country on tourist visas without having any do*****ents to prove they were journalists.

But on Tuesday, Iran s Foreign Ministry alleged that the two foreign reporters detained in the city of Tabriz had links with an anti-revolutionary group. The ministry said their case was being reviewed and added that some "sources" had indicated the detainees are German nationals.

Separately, German Chancellor Angela Merkel indicated on Tuesday that Germany s foreign ministry officials were attempting to get more details about the two "foreigners" arrested in Iran. She, however, did not confirm whether the detained pair were German nationals.