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Brett Neely
Washington

Franken, Klobuchar applaud Iranian release of Americans Bauer and Fattal

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DFL Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar are applauding the release of two Americans who were jailed in Iran on espionage charges.

One of the men, 29-year-old Shane Bauer, was born and raised in Minnesota. Franken said he hopes to meet Bauer soon.

"I'm very relieved that it looks like it's over and I won't completely breathe freely until they're back with their families," Franken said Wednesday morning.

Klobuchar said she was relieved the pair had been released and condemned the Iranian government's behavior.

"They were used as trophies as some kind of symbol of humanitarianism when in fact they shouldn't have been held in the first place," Klobuchar said.

The two were held for more than two years after being detained for illegally straying into Iran in 2009. A third American who was with them, Sarah Shourd, was released last year.

Shourd and Bauer got engaged in prison.