On Friday, a Belgian aid worker imprisoned in Iran and an Iranian diplomat held in Belgium were freed as part of an agreement between the two sides. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo stated, "As I speak now, Belgian Olivier Vandecasteele is on his way to Belgium. If all goes as planned, he will finally be with us this evening, free." A Belgian government official indicated that Vandecasteele's condition is "relatively okay for someone isolated for such a long time." The Belgian government confirmed that Vandecasteele was the only Belgian prisoner in Iran. Iranian state television reported that Asadi has returned to Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian described Asadi in a Twitter post as "an innocent Iranian diplomat who was illegally detained in violation of international law" and added that he would return to Iran soon.
Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested during a visit to Iran in February 2022 and was sentenced in January to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including espionage. Iranian diplomat Assadollah Asadi was convicted in Belgium in 2021 related to a foiled bombing plot in France and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Each country rejected the allegations against its citizen, calling them fabricated.
