Trial for Americans detained in Iran may happen soon

Muscat, Oman (CNN) -- An Iranian prosecutor said Wednesday a trial will soon commence for three American hikers, one of whom, Sarah Shourd, was released on bail the day before from a Tehran prison.

Shourd, 32, was waiting with her mother in Muscat, Oman, for travel back home to the United States. Fellow Americans Shane Bauer, 28, who is Shourd's fiance, and their friend, Josh Fattal, 28, remain jailed in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison.

Public prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that files for the three Americans have been sent to court and the trial will take place soon. He has ruled out the possibility of a pretrial release for the two American men.

Meanwhile, the mothers of Bauer and Fattal told CNN they remain hopeful their sons will go free soon.

"What we really want, of course, is their release," Laura Fattal said on CNN's "American Morning." "We're so happy Sarah's home -- but it's our turn to have our kids back with us."

The three Americans were detained after they allegedly strayed across an unmarked border into Iran while hiking in Iraq's Kurdistan region in July 2009. Iran accused the three of spying, a charge the United States and the hikers have denied.

Laura Fattal made a plea to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to end a situation that she says should have been avoided from the beginning.

"Iran knows they have three innocent hikers, one of which they released," she said.

Bauer's mother, Cindy Hickey, said her son and Shourd have a wedding to plan.

"I'm very happy Sarah's out," Hickey said. She's my daughter-in-law to be, but I want Shane home. I want Shane and Josh connected with their families."

Shourd landed in Muscat on a chartered flight from Tehran on Tuesday after Iranian authorities released her. Her bail -- set at $500,000 -- was posted by Omani sources, a senior Obama administration official told CNN.

Dolatabadi said the money, guaranteed by the Muscat National Bank, will be deposited in the Bank Melli of Iran in coming days once the religious Eid al-Fitr observance is over in Oman.

Shourd thanked those involved with her release.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a really long time, and I'm extremely grateful to be standing here," Shourd told reporters upon her arrival at the airport. "I want to begin by giving my deepest thanks to the sultan of Oman, Sultan Qaboos."

She also thanked Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, and "everyone who has been a part of making this moment happen for me and for my family."

She said she would focus her efforts on securing the release of Bauer and Fattal.

"I can't enjoy my freedom without them," she said. "They should be standing here with me. They don't deserve to be in prison a minute longer than I do."

Prior to departing Tehran, she told reporters, "I just want to assure you that my commitment to truth will not change when I go back to my country and I will never say anything but the truth to the media, and I will not succumb to any pressure."

Obama's speech revs up Harley worker

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (CNN) -- When President Barack Obama rolled out a $50-billion six-year infrastructure proposal Monday, thousands who gathered in Milwaukee were eager to hear his message.

Among them was Henry Haggler. He's worked at a Harley-Davidson plant in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, for almost 16 years.

Haggler has seen cutbacks and layoffs, and now worries about how much more the company will ask his United Steelworkers Union to give up. "We're trying to negotiate a new contract, and their thing is they're trying to whipsaw us," he said, adding "we have a lot of hard working union people, and they're Americans, OK, and we sacrificed a lot."

Like other companies in this tough economy, his Harley-Davidson plant has had to make painful adjustments.

Haggler, who was born and raised in Milwaukee, appears to have an emotional connection to Harley-Davidson. He waxes on about what the company's founding fathers would have wanted.

But when it comes to what he wanted from Obama before the president's speech, he got to the point. "I think he should make a spirited speech about where we are right now and that things are going to turn around,"

Obama was careful about making too many promises, admitting to the crowd he has no "silver bullet," and that, "It will take more time than any of us wants, to dig out of the hole created by this economic crisis."

Nonetheless, the Harley worker, whose union pride runs deep in his veins, gave Obama the benefit of the doubt.

"I think he's done enough," Haggler said. "Look at the sacrifices that he had to make. I would love to have a car but I sure wouldn't want it with four bad tires and a bad engine, but that's what he got."