Iran judiciary denies US men's release is imminent

TEHRAN, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Two US nationals arrested while hiking in Iran and convicted of spying will not be released imminently, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had announced, a judiciary official said on Wednesday.

"The two Americans are going to stay in prison for a bit longer. Reports of their imminent release are wrong," Iran's English-language Press TV quoted a judiciary official as saying.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were sentenced in Iran last month to eight years in prison. Ahmadinejad told U.S. media that they would be freed "in a couple of days", in what he called a humanitarian gesture shortly before he travels to the United Nations in New York. (Reportingh by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Kevin Liffey)