The two American hikers who have been jailed in Iran since 2009 could be released to freedom within days, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer were sentenced to eight years for espionage and illegal entry last month after they were seized while hiking in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq two years ago.

In an interview with NBC's Ann Curry on Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the imminent release "a humanitarian gesture."

"They illegally crossed our borders, and they were arrested by the border guards, but we tried last year to free one of the three persons, and we are also trying to make arrangements for their freedom, for the freedom of the other two," explained the President.