Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi convened with diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who was recently released by Belgium as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange in May, as reported by the presidential website on Saturday.
During their meeting held on Friday, President Raisi expressed his disapproval of Western countries’ actions, stating, “The claimants of human rights have shown once again that they do not adhere to any law.” He criticized Western nations for what he saw as a breach of international rules, regulations, and principles, highlighting their violation of the diplomatic immunity granted to the Iranian diplomat in a manner he deemed clear and unprecedented.
Assadi had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium after being found guilty of involvement in a plot to detonate explosives at an Iranian opposition event near Paris in 2018. However, on May 26, he was freed through a mediation effort led by Oman, which resulted in Iran releasing Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, imprisoned in Tehran for nearly 15 months.
This exchange followed months of intense debates in Belgium, particularly within the country’s parliament. Vandecasteele, a 42-year-old Belgian, had been sentenced in January to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges of espionage, according to Tehran’s judiciary. His trial had been criticized as unfair by his family and Belgian authorities.
Since May, Oman-mediated negotiations have facilitated the release of six European nationals from detention in Iran, although there are still others remaining incarcerated.