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With Omani mediation, an exchange of prisoners between Iran and Belgium in Muscat

May 26, 2023

“The Omani efforts have resulted in an agreement between the two parties on a mutual release agreement,” the Omani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added, “The released detainees were transferred from Tehran and Brussels to Muscat on Friday, with a view to their return to their countries.”

In the same context, Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo announced that Iran had released aid worker Olivier Vandecastel after he was detained for 455 days while traveling to Belgium.

De Croo said: “Olivier was transferred to Amman, where he was sponsored by a team of Belgian military and diplomats, and he underwent several medical examinations there on Friday morning to assess his state of health and allow his return to the best possible terms.”

He added: “If everything goes according to plan, we will be with us on Friday evening.”

Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.

Arab Desk

Arab Desk

The Arab Desk leads The Eastern Herald's reporting on the Middle East and North Africa. The desk has covered the Gaza-Israel war since October 2023, the Iran-Israel war of 2025-2026, the fall of the Assad government in Syria, Hezbollah's political and military shifts in Lebanon, the war in Yemen, and the diplomatic realignment of the Gulf states under the Abraham Accords and the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.

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