Iran parliament approves prisoner swap treaty with Belgium

The Iranian parliament has approved a bill on a prisoner exchange treaty with Belgium with 195 votes for, two votes against and seven abstentions.

The prisoner exchange treaty between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Belgium - containing 22 articles - was submitted to the parliament by the government on July 25, Iran's Fars News Agency reported on August 3.

Central to the bill is the case of Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat currently serving time in a Belgian prison. Assadi was convicted in 2021 of terror-related offences over involvement in a foiled bombing plot targeting the 2015 Paris convention of the exiled Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MKO) opposition group.

Iran has been hoping the treaty would pave the way for Assadi's return home, and Tehran is planning to exchange Assadi with Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who is currently jailed in Iran.

The Belgian parliament passed the treaty on 20 July. 

Iran has been accused of detaining foreign nationals to use them as bargaining chips with their home countries.