Belgium on Tuesday said it had formally asked Iran to repatriate jailed spy Olivier Vandecasteele from Tehran.







Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib held a telephone conversation on Monday evening.

According to a readout of the phone call by the Iranian foreign ministry's website, the two ministers discussed the latest state of bilateral ties as well as consular issues between Tehran and Brussels.

During the telephone conversation, Amir-Abdollahian pointed to historical ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Belgium, expressing hope that the relations will expand more than ever before through focusing on constructive and effective solutions.

Ms. Lahbib for her part said Belgium is interested in expanding cooperation with Iran and underlined the necessity of joint efforts by the two countries to overcome the obstacles.

In the telephone conversation, the foreign ministers of Iran and Belgium also exchanged views about consular issues of mutual interest.

A day after the phone conversation on Tuesday, Ms. Lahbib said she had informed her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian of the "transfer request for our compatriot Olivier Vandecasteele."

Iran sentenced Belgian citizen Olivier Vandecasteele on January 10, 2023, to 40 years in prison over espionage charges.

The Iranian Judiciary's Mizan news agency said the 41-year-old Belgian national was found guilty of "espionage against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the benefit of foreign intelligence services," and given a 12-and-a-half-year jail sentence.

Vandecasteele was handed the same sentence for the crime of "cooperation with the hostile government of the United States,� and given another 12 and a half years for "money laundering."

The 41-year-old was also handed a further two and a half years as well as 74 lashes for "professional currency smuggling to the amount of $500,000.�

Vandecasteele, working under the guise of an aid worker, was arrested by the Iranian security forces in February 2022.

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