It's been almost four months since three American hikers were arrested after crossing into Iran from northern Iraq. They say it was an accident, but Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists their case will go through his nation's courts.

Today, on the eve of Thanksgiving, the mothers of those hikers are sending a video message to their children and the leaders of Iran. Laura Fattal, mother of hiker Josh Fattal, spoke to John Roberts on CNN's "American Morning" Wednesday.

It's been three months since three Americans – Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal – were arrested in Iran. They reportedly crossed an unmarked border while hiking in Northern Iraq and are being held in Tehran where government officials say they now face espionage charges.

The families say it was an innocent mistake and in his first television interview, Shon Meckfessel – the "fourth" hiker, who was not arrested – told CNN's Kiran Chetry what they were all doing there in the first place.

Related: Iran to charge 3 American hikers with espionage, says prosecutor

Iran is charging three American hikers with espionage, a Tehran prosecutor said Monday.

The three Americans have been detained since July 31 on charges of illegally crossing the border from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran. Their family and friends say it was an innocent mistake.

The announcement of the charges comes only days after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met privately with the families of Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal, who were detained along the Iran-Iraq border at the end of July.

Alex Fattal, the brother of hiker Josh Fattal, spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN's American Morning Tuesday.

Read more: Iran to charge 3 American hikers with espionage, says prosecutor

It's been three months since Americans Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were arrested in Iran. The three reportedly crossed an unmarked border while hiking in northern Iraq, and are being held in Tehran.

This morning, a fourth hiker who was not arrested is asking Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his friends' release. Alex Fattal, Josh's brother, spoke to John Roberts on Monday's American Morning to give the latest details.

Related: www.freethehikers.org

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — The United States and other nations should take a diplomatic approach toward Iran in negotiations over that nation's nuclear program, former President Jimmy Carter said Thursday.

Iran's nuclear chief and representatives from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, as well as Germany, are scheduled to start talks Thursday in Switzerland over a recently revealed nuclear facility in Iran.

Tehran says it is developing its nuclear program for energy purposes, but many nations believe Iran wants to make nuclear weapons and will be able to do so in the near future.

A deliberate approach will work best, Carter said.

"I hope and pray that Iran will be induced to permit international inspectors to come in and observe their entire nuclear program, because what they're doing so far is completely illegal under the nonproliferation treaty," the former president said in an interview with CNN's Candy Crowley.

"They have a right to purify uranium and plutonium to use for nuclear power. If Iran is on the borderline, the constant threats that we or the Israelis are going to attack Iran is the best thing to force them to say, 'Let's defend ourselves.' I don't think Iran has made up their mind what to do, and I think the best thing we can do is engage them and stop making these idle threats."

Iran said Tuesday it will allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the new facility, but it did not offer a timetable for those visits.

(CNN) - Family members of one of the three hikers detained in Iran are heartened and hopeful over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's willingness to ask jurists to handle the case in a timely manner and weigh "maximum leniency" for their release.

Josh Fattal's relatives say they haven't had contact with him since he was detained in Iran.

"We are encouraged by the recent statements of the president that he wants to deal with this matter expeditiously," said Alex Fattal, brother of hiker Josh Fattal.

Alex Fattal, who spoke to CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday with his mother Laura Fattal, said family members haven't had contact with Josh and "we take things day by day."

Iranian authorities detained Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd after they strayed into Iran in late July while hiking in a part of northern Iraq's Kurdish region.

Ahmadinejad, who arrived in New York on Tuesday night for the U.N. General Assembly meeting, addressed the issue in an Associated Press television interview.

He said the crossing of the Iranian border by "several American citizens" represented an "illegal entry," an act that is "considered a crime everywhere."

"The judiciary handles these cases. The judiciary in Iran is completely independent, and no one can interfere with the process of the law and work of the judge."

However, he said, "what I can ask is that the judiciary expedites the process and gives it its full attention ... and basically look at the case with maximum leniency."

The mothers of the the hikers wrote Ahmadinejad a letter asking him to bring their children to New York with him.

While that was not to be, Laura Fattal told CNN that "we're very, very encouraged by the compassion of President Ahmadinejad."

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Program Note: Premiering Sunday, a new weekly series will get people talking. Join Christiane Amanpour for provocative analysis and global stories that matter to you. “Amanpour," Sunday 2 p.m. ET.

NEW YORK (CNN) – President Obama spoke Wednesday at the U.N. General Assembly as he tackles a range of thorny international issues with his counterparts.

Christiane Amanpour says the White House is confused about how to deal with Iran.

Obama said Iran and North Korea "must be held accountable" if they continue to ignore international nuclear weapons treaties.

Iran recently reiterated its unwillingness to give up its nuclear program, which the United States and other Western nations fear is being used to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists its program is strictly for civilian power.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said she didn't expect a direct meeting between Obama and Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at the U.N. session.

CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour says the White House is confused about how to deal with Iran. She joined Kiran Chetry and John Roberts on CNN’s “American Morning” Wednesday. Below is an edited transcript of the interview.

Kiran Chetry: Ahmadinejad spoke to reporters late last night saying he's willing to push for leniency in the case of the three American hikers detained in his country, accused of entering illegally from Iraq.

Through a translator he said, “We're not happy that this has happened, but when the law is broken, the law itself foresees a procedure that has to be carried through. What I can ask is that the judiciary expedites the process and gives it its full attention. … And to basically take a look at the case with maximum leniency.”

Chetry: Ahmadinejad is saying he would appeal to the court for maximum leniency. That's a pretty strong statement. Why is he coming out with that now?

Christiane Amanpour: Well, it is. It's conciliatory and it reminds me of what he said about Roxana Saberi all those months ago. He won't come out and say, “I'm going to get them released” but he did back then and he has just now said he will tell the judiciary to act expeditiously and with leniency. So perhaps that will mean some movement on it, as it did with Roxana Saberi.

And why is he doing it now? Because he's in the United States, obviously he's going to speak at the U.N., but beyond that, the U.S. government has decided to break with the Bush administration policy and now enter direct and bilateral talks with Iran, including being in the group of the P-5-plus-1 over the nuclear and other negotiations. So that's new. And I suppose he wants to pave some kind of different atmosphere. But it’s going to be difficult because of the tension still about that disputed election.

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(CNN) – Relatives of three American hikers detained in Iran are still waiting for news about their loved ones.

Sarah Shourd, seen in a family photo, is one of three American hikers detained in Iran.

More than a month has passed since Iranian authorities detained Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal after they strayed into Iran - by accident, a friend and relatives say - while hiking in northern Iraq.

Their relatives in the United States have heard nothing about their fate, they said Tuesday on CNN's "American Morning."

"We know they're being detained in Iran. Beyond that, we haven't heard anything from them," said Nora Shourd, the mother of Sarah Shourd.

The waiting takes a toll.

"It's just very difficult," said Alex Fattal, Josh Fattal's brother. "Each day feels like a month.

"It's a long time - each hour, each day - to not know under what conditions Josh, Shane and Sarah are being held and if they're OK."

The hikers' relatives said they hope the Iranian government lets Swiss diplomats visit the hikers. The Swiss government represents U.S. interests in Iran. The U.S. and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since the American hostage crisis of 1979.

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Three Americans hikers – Shane Bauer, 27; Sarah Shourd, 31; and Josh Fattal, 27 – were picked up by Iranian authorities when they strayed across the border while hiking in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan last month. They were arrested on allegations of entering Iran illegally from northern Iraq. Iran is now saying that they are spies.

Former CIA officer Robert Baer says Iran is potentially in a 'pre-revolutionary state.'

Robert Baer is a former CIA field officer assigned to the Middle East and the author of “The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower.” He spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN’s “American Morning” Tuesday.

Kiran Chetry: So we don’t know much about the condition of the three Americans detained in Iran. We know that they've been held there for about two weeks now. And we've heard very little about what's happened to them. They're up against courts being run by hardliners. They’re being accused of being spies. How dangerous is this situation for them?

Robert Baer: It's particularly dangerous because Iran, as we know, is going through a volatile situation. There's been a virtual military takeover. The regime is insecure. Clerics in Qom, the holy city, have attacked the regime. And I think we're going to - they're going to play hardball with these three guys. I mean, they're not spies. And so this could be drawn out for a very, very long time.

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Rafsanjani remains an influential figure in Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's circle.

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) – One of Iran's most powerful clerics, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has called on the Iranian government to release those people arrested following last month's disputed presidential election.

"There is no need to have these numbers of people in prison," the former Iranian president said during his highly anticipated Friday sermon.

"Let them come back to their families. Let the enemy not laugh at us and criticize us. We must sympathize with those who have suffered damages. The system cannot lose them. If the system reapproaches them they will come back to us."

Tens of thousands of people gathered in and around Tehran University as Rafsanjani spoke for about an hour, according to witnesses at the speech. Iranian police used tear gas to disperse some of the crowds.

Rafsanjani backs reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi, the opposition candidate who challenged hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the disputed June 12 vote.

After weeks of silence, Rafsanjani has become increasingly vocal in opposing the brutal crackdown on demonstrators who protested election results.

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Video: Watch more about Rafsanjani's sermon