[Spalax]

That may or may not be true.
If keeping them makes no sense from an iranian perspective however, they would drive them to the iraqi border and send them over with a kick in the ass.
But regardless if these guys were really innocent hikers or not the issue will be worked out in a backdoor deal as in previous cases. Possibly the Iranians want prisoners released and push up the price or it is other things they´re after that we will possibly never know. But the only thing that helps here is patience and possibly better travel recommendations next time........

Right. The Iranians no doubt want something in return. Given the amount of time they have held on to these hikers I believe these hikers are simply not worth the price in America's eyes.