The official said the account came from a fourth member of their group who was feeling sick and had stayed behind in Sulaimaniyah.

The Iranian state TV report claimed the four Americans were together when they crossed the border, but "only one returned [to Iraq], while the three were arrested."

The discrepancy could not immediately be reconciled.

The area where the three disappeared is a popular hiking destination known for a picturesque waterfall and rocky scenery as well as a thick growth of fruit and nut trees.

Kurdish officials said U.S. helicopters and Humvees deployed to the nearby city of Halabja to search for the Americans after they were reported missing on Friday but left after it was determined they had been seized by the Iranians.

U.S. asks Swiss help in accessing tourists

I don't see this ending well.