Iran Confirms Arrest of Three Missing Americans

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (c) and judiciary Chief Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi (l) arrive at the Iranian parliament for Ahmadinejad's swearing-in ceremony on 5 August 2009 in Tehran , Iran.

Iran has confirmed officially the arrest of three Americans who entered Iranian territory from Iraq.

The announcement was made on NBC by Gen. James Jones, national security advisor of US President Barack Obama.

The three Americans went missing on July 31 after a hike in a mountainous area of Iraqi Kurdistan where the border with Iran is not clearly delineated.

According to the Iranian news agency ISNA, the Embassy of Switzerland in Tehran, which represents US interests in Iran, has requested a meeting with the detained Americans.