Farnborz Gravindi stitched his lips together in protest

Senior Catholic and Protestant church figures have urged First Minister Jack McConnell to intervene in the case.

It comes as an attempt by the Scottish Socialist Party for an emergency debate at Holyrood was defeated.

The men - who stitched up their mouths 21 days ago - fear for their safety if they are sent back to Iran.

They fled the country three years ago but their appeals for refugee status in the UK have been dismissed.

Fariborz Gravindi, 30, Mokhtar Haydary, 31, and Faroq Haidari, 32, started their protest on Thursday, 19 February.

At the men's flat in the Langside area of Glasgow, Mr Haidari was able to mumble brief answers to questions.

I don't think we should be returning anyone to Iran, regardless of their personal circumstances Tom Harris Glasgow Cathcart MP

"Sick, sick, tired, unwell. We are getting worse each day," he said on Wednesday.

"There is no way we can go back to Iran. People just do not understand there is no way back."

Last week Mr Gravindi and Mr Haydary fell unconscious and were taken to the city's Victoria Infirmary.

They refused treatment after waking up in the hospital and later discharged themselves but on Wednesday two of the group were reported to have again fallen unconscious.

The men say they were beaten up while in jail in Iran, where they were political activists.

Scottish asylum policy

The Home Office has described their action as "regrettable" but said that a person without dependents whose application for asylum had failed was not entitled to remain in the UK.

Glasgow Cathcart Labour MP Tom Harris has suggested a compromise agreement.

"I have asked the Home Office if they could at the very least delay their removal from the country on the basis that the political situation in Iran is very uncertain," he said.

"I don't think we should be returning anyone to Iran, regardless of their personal circumstances."

The men pictured just after starting their protest

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Devine, said the men's plight strengthened arguments for Scotland to have its own asylum policy.

He said there was a "credible argument" for the move and that he was "quite appalled" by the sight of the three men with their mouths sewn up.

The churchman will be writing to Mr McConnell asking him to put pressure on the Home Office for greater control over the issue.

The Church of Scotland moderator, the Right Rev Professor Iain Torrance, also voiced his concern.

He urged the first minister to use every power available to him to persuade the home secretary to join in averting what was in danger of becoming a "political disgrace" and a "personal tragedy".

'Decent human being'

Scottish National Party leader John Swinney added his voice to the campaign after visiting the three men on Wednesday.

He called on David Blunkett to think again, saying: "Ordinary human compassion demands it."

SSP MSP Carolyn Leckie moved an amendment to parliamentary business on Wednesday to include a statement from Mr McConnell on the hunger strike, but this was rejected.

Ms Leckie urged the first minister to act

"Will he, as any decent human being should, at least visit and listen to them as they request? It's a very simple request," she said.

"Will he even lift one tiny finger, if that is all that is in his power to do? Will he lift that tiny finger or will he wash his hands? Will he wash his hands like Pontius Pilate?"

She urged the first minister to put "humanity before protocol" and prove that Scotland was not becoming a "country without compassion".

The attempt to draw a statement from the executive was answered by Minister for Parliamentary Business Patricia Ferguson, who repeated the point that asylum was a matter for Westminster.

Margaret Woods, from campaign group Positive Action in Housing, said lawyers were submitting further asylum applications on behalf of the three men in the hope they would be allowed to stay in the UK.