President Obama called Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman today to convey the United States’ deepest appreciation for the Sultan’s exceptional and successful role in securing the release of the young American hikers from Iranian detention and the cooperation between our governments in this endeavor. The President expressed our gratitude to the Sultan and his special envoy, Salem Al-Ismaily, for sparing no effort to secure the release of Sarah Shourd last year, and Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal this past Wednesday, thus ending a painful chapter for the hikers and their families. Both leaders affirmed that the friendship and partnership between our two nations, as manifested in our cooperation for the release of the hikers, have only grown stronger, and that the United States and Oman will continue to work together on a broad range of common interests.