Washington, Sep. 15: A power struggle between Iran's President Mohamed Ahmadinejad and the country's hard line clerical establishment, is being touted as the reason for the delay in the release of two American hikers, who have been in prison for the past two years on charges of spying.

A day after Ahmadinejad said the release of the two US hikers was "imminent," the country''s judiciary denied his statement, saying it is still examining pleas by the hikers'' lawyers for their release on bail.

Iran's ruling clerics, who control the courts, have said that only its officials can set the timetables and conditions on any possible release and not the president, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

"Information about this case will be provided by the judiciary. Any information supplied by individuals about this is not authoritative," said the judiciary in a statement published in the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

The move was a "clear jab" at Ahmadinejad, according to the Guardian.

Weeks ago, Ahmadinejad sparred with the courts over the sentencing of the hikers.

Shane Bauer and Joshua Fattal received eight-year jail sentences in late August, after government officials made comments implying that they would be released soon - and after Ahmadinejad leaned on the court to give them a light sentence, The Christian Science Monitor reports.

Within the world of Iranian politics, however, a lighter sentence would have created the impression that the judiciary had caved in to political pressure from the Ahmadinejad administration.

Thus, the court's reversal appears to represent more of a message to the president that the court acts independently of his desires and policy objectives than an affirmation of the two men's guilt.

"The judiciary doesn't want to hand the government any victories or to be dictated to by the government," says an analyst speaking by phone from Tehran on condition of anonymity.

Ahmadinejad has been trying to build up a power base that will last beyond the end of his presidency in 2013 by empowering the executive branch, sometimes at the expense of the parliament and judiciary, and then placing allies in executive branch positions.

The New York Times reports that he likely announced the hikers'' "imminent" release as part of what has become an annual event - his media blitz ahead of his yearly trip to the US for the United Nations General Assembly meeting, which opens on September 20 this year.

The Christian Science Monitor describes it as his "annual charm offensive."

The disconnect between the Ahmadinejad administration''s public expression of hope for clemency and the harshness of the judiciary''s verdict is embarrassing for Ahmadinejad''s government in light of the president''s upcoming travels to New York, according to domestic analysts. (ANI)