US-Iran prisoners appeal to Rowhani

Supporters of two US citizens jailed in Iran appealed for their freedom Monday as President Hassan Rowhani arrived for the UN General Assembly, with one handing him a letter. Rowhani, seen as a moderate, is paying a closely watched visit to the annual United Nations meeting as he seeks to improve Iran's relations with the West. The wife of Saeed Abedini, a naturalized US citizen involved in underground churches in Iran, approached Rowhani as he checked in at his hotel, a support group said. Naghmeh Abedini "respectfully introduced herself" and asked Rowhani in Farsi to free her husband, said the American Center for Law and Justice, a group supporting the family. A member of Rowhani's entourage accepted a letter that was written by her husband and addressed to the Iranian president asking for his release, the group said. Separately, 64 members of the US House of Representatives took part in a campaign to free Amir Hekmati, a former Marine who is also imprisoned in Iran. The lawmakers took pictures of themselves with signs seeking Hekmati's release and posted them on social media with the hashtag #FreeAmir. Supporters of two US citizens jailed in Iran appealed for their freedom Monday as President Hassan Rowhani arrived for the UN General Assembly, with one handing him a letter. Rowhani, seen as a moderate, is paying a closely watched visit to the annual United Nations meeting as he seeks to improve Iran's relations with the West. The wife of Saeed Abedini, a naturalized US citizen involved in underground churches in Iran, approached Rowhani as he checked in at his hotel, a support group said. Naghmeh Abedini "respectfully introduced herself" and asked Rowhani in Farsi to free her husband, said the American Center for Law and Justice, a group supporting the family. A member of Rowhani's entourage accepted a letter that was written by her husband and addressed to the Iranian president asking for his release, the group said. Separately, 64 members of the US House of Representatives took part in a campaign to free Amir Hekmati, a former Marine who is also imprisoned in Iran. The lawmakers took pictures of themselves with signs seeking Hekmati's release and posted them on social media with the hashtag #FreeAmir.