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TEHRAN –  After
more than two years in custody, the two American hikers jailed as spies
in Iran were released on $1 million bail Wednesday and flown out of the
country, the state's news agency reported.

The plane carrying the freed hikers has
landed in Muscat, Oman. It is unclear how long the men will stay in the
Gulf state before heading home to the U.S.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 29, who
are friends from their days at the University of California at Berkeley,
were released into the custody of an Omani delegation.

Their families released a statement thanking the Omani envoy and the Swiss ambassador to Iran among others.

"Today can only be described as the best day
of our lives," the statement read. "We have waited for nearly 26 months
for this moment and the joy and relief we feel at Shane and Josh's
long-awaited freedom knows no bounds."

President Obama, meanwhile, "welcomed" the release of the hikers.

"I welcome the release of Shane Bauer and
Josh Fattal from detention in Iran and am very pleased that they are
being reunited with their loved ones," Obama said in a statement.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined the president in welcoming the hikers' release.

"I am grateful for the efforts of all those who have worked for their release,&qu... >>>