Hillary Clinton rejects US-Iran prisoner swap proposal

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the hikers should be released immediately on humanitarian grounds.

Her remarks came a day after Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad suggested that talks were under way regarding such a swap.

Mrs Clinton called Iran's allegations against the hikers "unjust".

Iranian officials have previously alleged that the three were spying.

"There are no negotiations taking place between the United States and Iran. We believe they should unilaterally release our detained citizens," Mrs Clinton said at the State Department after a meeting with Bahrain's foreign minister.

The three hikers were jailed in Iran in July for allegedly straying across the country's border while hiking in Iraq.