Iranians captives held in Syria will be released soon

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said the 48 Iranian religious tourists who were kidnapped in Syria in early August will be released soon, Iran's Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.

Iran has been intensively negotiating with countries which have great sway over the Syrian rebel forces for the release of religious tourists.

“So far, there has been a lot of lobbying, and the people will soon hear good news in this regard,” Salehi said on Sunday.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's media office, Salehi had a phone conversation on Sunday with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, which was predicted to herald the release of the Iranian captives.

The 48 Iranian nationals were abducted while on a pilgrimage to Damascus on Aug 4. They were kidnapped on their way to Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque.