A spokesperson for the Belgian government stated that Iran has released three more Europeans in exchange for Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi as part of a prisoner exchange deal between Iran and Belgium, which also saw the release of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele last week. The spokesperson clarified that the individuals involved are two dual Austrian-Iranian nationals, along with one Danish citizen. Assadi was convicted in Belgium in 2021 for attempting to detonate a bomb in France and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Iran claimed that the charges against him were fabricated.
The Belgian government released a statement noting that Iranian authorities had arrested the Danish citizen last November in connection with protests related to women's rights there. The government added that the two dual nationals “were mistakenly detained in January 2016 and January 2019.” The Austrian Foreign Ministry reported that citizens Kamran Ghaderi and Masoud Mousavi were released after 2709 and 1586 days, respectively. Mousavi and Ghaderi were sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage. Mousavi serves as the co-chair of the Iranian-Austrian Friendship Association, while Ghaderi is a businessman.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen declined to provide further details about the Danish citizen but stated in a statement that he “feels happy and relieved that the Danish citizen is now on his way home to his family after being imprisoned in Iran.” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo thanked the Sultanate of Oman for mediating the prisoner exchange. Oman maintains good relations with both Iran and Western countries and has previously acted as a mediator.
The three Europeans will stop in Oman for medical examinations before being flown to Milbrooke military airport in Belgium. Belgian government officials noted that there are still 22 Europeans officially in Iranian prisons, but they indicated that no more Europeans would be exchanged for Assadi. They added that Belgium continues to work on securing the release of Ahmad Reza Jalali, a Swedish citizen of Iranian origin who was arrested by Iranian authorities in 2016 during an academic visit to the country.
In recent years, Iran has detained dozens of foreigners and dual nationals, most of whom were accused of espionage and other security-related charges. Human rights groups have criticized the arrests, describing them as a tactic aimed at gaining concessions from abroad through fabricated accusations, which Tehran denies.
