Austria says 2 citizens held in Iran released, thanks Belgium and Oman

Two Austrian citizens who were held in Iran have been released and are on their way home, Austria's foreign minister said on Friday.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said he was “very relieved” that Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb were being brought home after “years of arduous detention in Iran''.

He thanked the foreign ministers of Belgium and Oman for providing “valuable support”, without elaborating on what form it took.

Iranian state media and officials did not immediately acknowledge a release on Friday, which is part of the weekend in the Islamic Republic.

Last week, a prisoner exchange between Belgium and Iran saw an Iranian diplomat convicted of attempting to bomb exiles in France returning to Tehran while a visibly gaunt aid worker headed back to Brussels.

Iran has detained a number of foreigners and dual nationals over the years, accusing them of espionage or other state security offenses and sentencing them following secretive trials in which rights groups say they have been denied due process.

Critics have repeatedly accused Iran of using such prisoners as bargaining chips with the West.

Iran, facing Western sanctions over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, has faced protests in recent months and economic strain.

However, it has seen the International Atomic Energy Agency drop two inquiries into its programme while also reaching a detente with Saudi Arabia through Chinese mediation.