Iran frees Belgian aid worker in prisoner swap

BRUSSELS: Iran on Friday freed a Belgian aid worker, Olivier Vandecasteele, after almost 15 months in custody, in a prisoner exchange for an Iranian diplomat convicted of terrorism.

Belgium´s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the 42-year-old had arrived in Oman and added: “If all goes to plan, he´ll be with us this evening. Free at last!” Separately, Oman´s foreign ministry announced it had helped broker an “exchange deal” and that an Iranian previously held in Belgium was on his way to Tehran. Iran announced that the freed Iranian is diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who was jailed in Belgium over a 2018 plot to bomb an Iranian opposition rally outside Paris.