american spies in iran to be released

[Throckmorton]

From the beginning around two years ago this whole story IMO begged the question:

Have we heard the whole story about this? Were these three journalists really just hiking near the I/I border? Did they really have no agenda? Did they possibly have some ties to US intelligence agencies? I have read many stories in the mainstream press, seen TV stories, and there has been not a hint concerning such thoughts.

One wonders what three hikers at the border on a trail could possibly discover that would benefit intelligence agencies. I suppose it's entirely possible that they are absolutely innocent of the ostensible charges. I say ostensible because to my knowledge, there have been no revelations concerning the Iranian charges against them. Is there any more information out there? Will there ever be?

I'm surprised it occurs to anyone that they could really be spies.

UC Berkeley types with the sheltered first world upbringings always seem to forget that the world is a dangerous place. Idealism and having your head in the clouds can't protect you when you go hiking on the Iranian border just to see some nice scenery. They got lucky.

They're just buffoons who think hating America protects them from our enemies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JgVKfiZnM0

 

[Fox5]

I'm surprised it occurs to anyone that they could really be spies.

UC Berkeley types with the sheltered first world upbringings always seem to forget that the world is a dangerous place. Idealism and having your head in the clouds can't protect you when you go hiking on the Iranian border just to see some nice scenery. They got lucky.

They're just buffoons who think hating America protects them from our enemies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JgVKfiZnM0

Depends on what their background is.

It's hard to imagine what kind of spying they were doing though. Certainly they weren't going to sneak into Iran and spy in person, but they could have been there to set up some kind of monitoring posts or radios. I imagine Iran would have announced that they found monitoring posts, if there were any though.

 

[ichy]

You come off as an asshole with these statements.

Stupid should hurt.

 

[Ausm]

Oh man you gave out america's best kept secret on the Anandtech forums

 

[Doboji]

You morons who think they actually were spies have no idea what the hell you're talking about. Do you really think the United States likes to place spies in Iran by having them walk over the Iraq/Iran border?

Do we put spies in Iran? Of course... but there's absolutely no reason to have them "hike" there. There are 800 billion cover stories that can get Americans into Iran the normal way, by airplane.

 

[Muse]

What is the truth then? The Iranian hikers would not be questioned? His statement isn't very funny then.

Oh its bit you ON the nose not in the nose.

I fail to see even the attempt at humor in his statement. :whiste:

 

[Muse]

I'm surprised it occurs to anyone that they could really be spies.

UC Berkeley types with the sheltered first world upbringings always seem to forget that the world is a dangerous place. Idealism and having your head in the clouds can't protect you when you go hiking on the Iranian border just to see some nice scenery. They got lucky.

They're just buffoons who think hating America protects them from our enemies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JgVKfiZnM0

Pretty ironic statements from a person sequestered on Maui.

I did not say I thought they really could be spies (your words), I just said I had/have to wonder if there was any truth, even a hint of truth to the supposed allegations whatsoever.

 

[Muse]

You morons who think they actually were spies have no idea what the hell you're talking about. Do you really think the United States likes to place spies in Iran by having them walk over the Iraq/Iran border?

Do we put spies in Iran? Of course... but there's absolutely no reason to have them "hike" there. There are 800 billion cover stories that can get Americans into Iran the normal way, by airplane.

I think these are pretty cogent statements, the first ones I've seen or heard on the questions I posed. However, I think the number is closer to 1500 than 800 billion cover stories.

 

[Craig234]

The only balanced story I've seen on the release of the prisoners, Glenn Greenwald:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/26-10

 

[Craig234]

Anyone who 'knows' they had no ties to US intelligence is Leon Panetta or wrong.

I think it's very, very unlikely they did. Weirder things have happened.

Our intelligence agencies have a huge history of just about any spy cover, and have used everyone from tourists to the Peace Corps (at least they tried).

And Iran is clearly a 'spy target' among the top in the world. But I don't think they were.

 

[Doppel]

I'm pretty sure they are spies.

Silly. If they were spies they had to have had camera equipment, otherwise offer nothing a UAV or sat can't give wandering around in the wilderness, and if this equipment was found they'd now be rotting indefinitely in Iran. They were stupid hikers, period.

 

[randomrogue]

Truth is that the Decepticons and Persians are building a top secret military base in the middle of nowhere and those spies were there to uncover the truth. What the US government isn't telling us though is that the Autobots gave us bad intel.