US Hikers Detained in Iran Call Home

PHILADELPHIA - The families of three Americans detained in Iran for months say their loved ones have been allowed to call home for the first time.

The families say in a statement they received the calls Tuesday and the three reported being well. The families called the conversations "a tremendous relief."

Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal were hiking in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region in July when they accidentally crossed the border into Iran. Iran says the three are spies. U.S. officials have called for their release.

Bauer's mother, Cindy Hickey of Pine City, Minn., says he sounded strong and determined.

Bauer and Fattal are 27 and Shourd is 31. The families say Bauer and Fattal are being held in the same prison cell in Tehran. Shourd is alone in a cell.