Hikers are Finally Freed and United, Iran Still Separate and Trapped

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/04/25/cnn-tonight-intv-american-hikers-iranian-prison-proposal.cnn.html

The content of this particular video is more infotainment than meaningful, but the story behind it is not. The hikers claim they were held for two years because of their nationality- Americans- that their punishment was political, the Iranian government knew they were not spies. This leads us back to one of our first questions about Iran, is it a rational actor? What exactly was it's political strategy or goal in detaining the vacationers? The Iranian theocracy has a continuous and growing inclination to be separated from Western Influence, because their ideals clash with the "divine law" of the land, but their behavior regarding issues as these is earning them more than separation, but rivalry. Not only did the hiker's detainment create enemies in the world but it divided Iran on the home-front; The world watched as Iran's religious leaders refused the release of the detainees after elected President Ahmadinejad had publicly announced it.This act was not rational, and among others it has widened a cleavage between Iran and the world, as well as a dangerous cleavage within Iran.