Two Americans released after spending more than two years in prison in Iran, have arrived in New York reaffirming their innocence and say they were kept in solitary confinement most of the time.
The two were arrested after crossing the Iranian border with Iraq and accused of spying.
The ABC reports Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal believe they were held as "hostages" because of the hostility between the two countries.
On arrival at John F Kennedy airport in New York on Sunday, they provided the first details about their 781 days in Iranian detention, most which were spent in Evin prison, Tehran.
''It was clear to us from the very beginning that we were hostages,'' Mr Fattal said.
''This is the most accurate term because, despite certain knowledge of our innocence, Iran has always tied our case to its political disputes with the US.
''In all the time we spent in detention, we had a total of 15 minutes of telephone calls with our families and one short visit from our mothers.
''We had to go on hunger strike repeatedly just to receive letters from our loved ones.
''Many times, too many times, we heard the screams of other prisoners being beaten and there was nothing we could do to help them.''
The pair, both 29, were arrested with Sarah Shourd near the mountainous border with Iraq on 31 July , 2009.
The ABC reports all three have always maintained they are innocent of spying and simply strayed across the border into Iran.
Ms Shourd and Mr Bauer became engaged during their time in captivity. Ms Shourd, 33, was released for health reasons last year.
Mr Bauer and Mr Fattal were sentenced last month to eight years in prison for spying. However, they have been set free and arrived at Muscat airport on Wednesday.
