'Arrangements' by Oman led to release of Shourd: US

A US official said Wednesday that "arrangements" by Oman helped secure the release of an American hiker, but declined to say whether money was paid to Iran for her freedom.

"It was through arrangements that they (Oman authorities) made sure that Sarah Shourd was released," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.

The Iranians have said that Shourd's $500,000 bail was paid in Oman at Iran's state-run Bank Melli, but Crowley would not confirm nor deny that money had changed hands.

It would be up to "Omani officials if they choose to disclose the particular actions that met Iranian legal requirements," he said.

On Tuesday, Crowley had insisted that "the United States didn't pay anything for her release."

Shourd, 32, was reunited with her mother in Oman on Tuesday after more than a year in custody.

She was arrested along with fellow hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 28 years old, on July 31, 2009.

The three said they mistakenly entered Iran after getting lost while hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan, but Iran accused them of "spying and illegally entering the country."

The mothers of Bauer and Fattal urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday to bring them with him to New York when he attends a UN meeting next week, while the US government also stepped up calls for their release.

AFP