Brussels: Following the most recent in a series of prisoner swaps, one Dane and two Austrian-Iranian citizens who had been held by Tehran were released and returned to their home countries on Saturday.

The three Europeans had arrived at Melsbroek Military Airport, just outside of Brussels, just before 2:45 am (0045 GMT) on Saturday.
They had taken a flight from Muscat, Oman's capital, which facilitated their release.

Along with diplomats from Denmark and Austria, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib welcomed them at the airport.

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The release of the three men, along with that of a Belgian aid worker a week earlier, was a result of a prisoner exchange in which Tehran received the return of an Iranian diplomat who had been convicted and imprisoned in Belgium on terrorism-related charges.

The release of two of Vienna's citizens, Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb, who the city claimed had been detained "unjustly" by Iran in January 2016 and January 2019, respectively, was met with relief.

Alexander Schallenberg, the foreign minister of Austria, thanked Belgium and said, "Our years of diplomatic efforts to secure their release have paid off... For all of us, today is a very emotional day.

According to his spokeswoman Claudia Tuertscher, Ghaderi and Mossaheb arrived from Belgium at Vienna airport around 11:30 am (09:30 GMT) on Saturday, where they were welcomed by their families and Schallenberg.

After arriving at Copenhagen Airport at around 11:00 a.m. local time, the Danish man, Thomas Kjems, told reporters that he had been treated well in Iran, without mentioning any names.

According to Alexander De Croo, the Prime Minister of Belgium, Kjems was detained in Iran in November 2022 while attending a protest for women's rights.

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The Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele arrived at Melsbroek airport on May 26 after being released by Iran after spending 15 months in captivity.
The release of the Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who had been detained for a 2018 bombing plot against an Iranian opposition rally outside of Paris, was exchanged for his release by Belgium.

Vandecasteele had been accused of "espionage" by Iran, but according to his family, the Belgian government, and rights organisations, that accusation was made up to put pressure on Brussels to free Assadi.

The release of Vandecasteele, the Dane, and the two Austrian-Iranians, according to Belgian government officials, was all a part of "Operation Blackstone," which is named after 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone, who is famous for saying: "It is better that 10 guilty escape than one innocent suffer."
De Croo confirmed to Le Soir daily that the exchange of Vandecasteele and Assadi, involving the three Europeans who were released on Friday, was the second phase of negotiations with Tehran.

The National Council of Resistance in Iran, the exiled Iranian opposition group that was the target of the 2018 bomb plot, has criticised Assadi's release on the grounds that it disregarded a Belgian court order requiring their prior consultation.

In order to secure the release of agents like Assadi who were detained for terrorist offences in the West, critics of the prisoner swap claimed that it would encourage Tehran to kidnap more Europeans.

In particular, De Croo emphasised that his government "continues to fight for the respect of human rights and the release of European citizens wrongfully detained by Iran."

Thought to be in the dozens, the precise number of foreign passport holders still detained by Iran is unknown because some detainees' families prefer to negotiate behind closed doors.

At least 22 "innocent" Europeans are still being held in Iran, according to Belgian government officials. Over 30 EU citizens were held, according to data released by France last week.

In regards to his two released countrymen, Austria's Schallenberg said: "We are especially happy for the brave families who have suffered so much recently. Finally, they are free to re-hug their husbands, fathers, and grandfathers.

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Oman, a Gulf sultanate, has become a crucial conduit between the West and Iran. Additionally, it acted as a go-between in the 2016 Iranian hostage release of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and three other US citizens.

A Frenchman and a French-Irish citizen who had both gone on a hunger strike to protest their detention and conditions were both freed by Iran in May.