Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- The mothers of the three American hikers detained in Iran met with their children again on Friday, but their lawyer said they were set to leave the Islamic republic without their children.
"We understand that they had a second meeting with their children earlier today, and we are grateful for that. And beyond that, we understand they're still there, and that we certainly continue to call upon the government of Iran to release them on humanitarian grounds," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
Sarah Shourd, 31, Shane Bauer, 27. and Josh Fattal, 27, were detained in July. Their families say the three accidentally strayed across an unmarked border while on a hiking trip in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The hikers' attorney Masoud Shafii said the mothers were at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport without their children and without meeting President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or any other Iranian political leader. They had requested meetings with those leaders.
"Naturally they were disappointed," Shafii said. "If you were leaving without your children, wouldn't you be?"
He said the mothers thanked him and the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in Iran, for their efforts. He said they asked him to continue pursuing the case.
Shafii said Thursday it wasn't clear when the three would be released.
"The investigation is not over," he said. "Once the investigation is over, then the case goes to trial, and there will be [a] defense so it looks like it could take some time, but from a diplomatic standpoint, anything can happen."
In a separate incident on Friday, two Iranians detained for years in Iraq by U.S. troops have been freed and are headed home, officials at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad told CNN.
Video: Detained hikers meet with mothers
Video: Moms of jailed hikers on trip to Iran
