Iran hails trilateral prisoner swap

Tehran, Nov 28 (IANS) Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has praised the efforts leading to the liberation of three Iranians imprisoned in Thailand and one Australian-British citizen jailed in Tehran."I was honoured to welcome the three freed compatriots released, and upon their arrival and assurances of their health, the order was given to release the Australian prisoner," Xinhua news agency quoted Araghchi as saying to the media on Friday.The Minister said that the swap was the result of intensive diplomatic work between Iran, Thailand and Australia for more than one year, with hundreds of hours of consultations.The swap took place at the Tehran Airport, where the three Iranians arrived on a private Australian airplane, Araghchi further said.According to a report on state TV, the Iranian prisoners were arrested for "trying to circumvent extraterritorial embargoes" imposed unilaterally on Tehran by the US.As reported by Press TV, the Australian prisoner was detained in September 2018 and later sentenced to jail for "spying for Israel".
--IANS ksk/