Update: From the AP: "Associated Press reporters saw a convoy of vehicles with Swiss and Omani diplomats leaving Evin prison Wednesday afternoon with Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal inside, heading to an airport in the capital Tehran."

After a series of false starts, it appears that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal's detention in Iran may end soon. On Wednesday morning, NPR noted that Iran's Press TV had issued an alert saying that Tehran Appeals court had agreed to commute last month's eight year prison sentence for spying. CNN also reported that an unnamed U.S. official says that the hikers were released on bail. The details of the release, as the Associated Press reported, included a $1 million dollar bail deal. "The case is over," said Masoud Shafiei, their lawyer, to the AP. "The court has ordered that they be freed on bail."

Despite the seemingly good news for the hikers who were seized as potential spies more than two years ago, other outlets are being cautious. An earlier The New York Times report on the release emphasizes the words of the hiker's lawyer ("Hopefully the two will be freed today") in the headline. Just last week, Iranian president Mahmoud Amhadinejad promised the quick release of the pair, only to have judiciary officials contradict him on the timeline.

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Erik Hayden