Oman Welcomes British Nationals Released by Iran

The British national are welcomed in Muscat after their release. (Omani FM on Twitter)
The British national are welcomed in Muscat after their release. (Omani FM on Twitter)
TT

Oman Welcomes British Nationals Released by Iran

The British national are welcomed in Muscat after their release. (Omani FM on Twitter)
The British national are welcomed in Muscat after their release. (Omani FM on Twitter)

Oman announced that the two British nationals, who were released by Iran on Wednesday, had arrived in the Sultanate.

British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and dual national Anousheh Ashouri left Iran on Wednesday, ending years of detention, after the UK government paid its $530 million debt to Tehran, Iranian state media reported.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Ashouri were flown in to Muscat on board a Royal Air Force of Oman jet. They will then be flown to their homes.

Oman announced that it had coordinate the release of the detainees at the orders of Sultan Haithan bin Tariq, responding to a plea from the British government.

"Nazanin and Anoosheh have arrived safely in Oman. Sincere thanks for the hard work and good faith in Tehran and London that made this possible," tweeted Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.

"Soon they will be with their loved ones at home. We hope this result will bring further progress in the dialogue between the parties."

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation was arrested at a Tehran airport in April 2016 and later convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment.

Ashouri was sentenced to 10 years in jail in 2019 for spying for Israel's Mossad and two years for "acquiring illegitimate wealth", according to Iran's judiciary.

The releases came after Tehran and London pressed on with talks about a long-standing 400-million-pound ($520 mln) debt.



GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
TT

GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi welcomed on Wednesday the agreement between the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi militias to de-escalate the situation with regard to the Yemeni banking sector and airlines.

The agreement was announced by the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Tuesday.

Albudaiwi expressed the GCC's support for all regional and international efforts and the efforts led by the UN special envoy aimed at achieving peace and security in Yemen.

The announcement underscores the importance the international community attaches to the Yemeni crisis, he added, hoping the agreement will pave the way for Yemeni parties to start the political process, under UN auspices, to reach a comprehensive political solution that achieves security and stability in the country.

He reiterated the GCC's continued support and full solidarity with Yemen, its government and people, and its keenness to encourage all efforts to de-escalate and maintain stability in order to reach peace.