ATHENS

Austria on Friday afternoon announced that Iran has released two imprisoned Austrian citizens.

"I am very relieved that we can finally bring Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb home after years of arduous imprisonment in Iran," said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in a statement.

Stating that the released citizens are en route back to Austria to reunite with their loved ones, he expressed gratitude to his Belgian and Omani colleagues for their efforts in the process

"I would especially like to thank my Belgian colleague Hadja Lahbib and the Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaid for their valuable support. We have worked closely, discreetly, and trustfully with our partners. Our persistence has paid off," Schallenberg said.

Last week, a prisoner exchange occurred between Belgium and Iran. As part of the exchange, an Iranian diplomat convicted of attempting to bomb exiles in France was sent back to Tehran, while an aid worker returned to Brussels.