Jeysh-ol-Adl, the Sunni group that took five Iranian border officials hostage in February announced in a statement on Tuesday April 1 that it is in negotiation with Iranian authorities, adding that the lives of the hostages will not be in any imminent danger while the talks are ongoing.

The group announced last week that it had killed one of the hostages and was planning to kill another if the Islamic Republic authorities failed to respond to its demands.

Now they have confirmed that “no imminent danger threatens the lives of any of the prisoners while negotiations are underway”, adding that they will offer more information in the future.

Jeysh-ol-Adl has called for the release of 250 Sunnis allegedly being held in Iranian prisons.

Mowlavi Abdolhamid, a senior Sunni cleric in Sistan-Baluchistan, has denounced the abduction and called for the release of the border officials. Iran’s Interior Ministry had said earlier that it is enlisting the influence of elders in the region to secure the release of the hostages.

Radio Zamaneh