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Belgium, Iran Conduct Prisoner Swap in Oman

General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
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Belgium, Iran Conduct Prisoner Swap in Oman

General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike
General view of old Muscat in Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike

A Belgian aid worker jailed in Iran and an Iranian diplomat imprisoned in Belgium were freed on Friday in an exchange mediated by Oman, both sides said.

Oman's Foreign Ministry said that “those released were transferred from Tehran and Brussels to Muscat today, Friday, in preparation for their return to their countries.” It added that "the Sultanate of Oman appreciated the high positive spirit that prevailed in the talks in Muscat between the Iranian and Belgian sides, and their keenness to settle this humanitarian issue.”

Aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested on a visit to Iran in February 2022 and sentenced in January to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying.

Iranian diplomat Asadollah Assadi was convicted in Belgium in 2021 in connection with a foiled bomb plot in France and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Both countries rejected the charges against their citizen as fabricated.

"As I speak, Belgium's Olivier Vandecasteele is on his way to Belgium. If all goes to plan, he'll be with us this evening. Free at last," Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in on Friday.

"Last night Olivier was flown to Oman where he was looked after by a team of Belgian soldiers and diplomats. This morning he underwent a number of medical examinations to assess his state of health and to enable him to return in the best possible conditions", De Croo added.

Iranian state TV reported that Assadi had arrived back in Tehran and showed him sitting with officials including government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi.

Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said is scheduled to travel to Iran on Sunday for a two-day visit.

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Gulf

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan Affirm Continued Joint Efforts to Confront Attacks

Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz met with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir in Riyadh. SPA
Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz met with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir in Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, Pakistan Affirm Continued Joint Efforts to Confront Attacks

Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz met with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir in Riyadh. SPA
Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz met with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir in Riyadh. SPA

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said early on Saturday that he had affirmed with Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Riyadh continued joint efforts to confront attacks against the Kingdom in accordance with the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement.

The pact was signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye last month.

Prince Khalid met with Munir to discuss the attacks on Makkah and on civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

They commended the outcomes of the meeting of the chiefs of staff of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement states and stressed the continuation of joint efforts to confront the attacks under the agreement, SPA said.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State, Cabinet Member, and National Security Adviser Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban; Chief of the General Staff Gen. Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili; and Adviser to the Minister of Defense for Intelligence Affairs Hisham bin Abdulaziz bin Saif, along with several Pakistani officials.

Hours earlier, the military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye reviewed threats facing Saudi Arabia at ⁠a ⁠meeting in the Saudi capital.

Gulf

Saudi Coalition Says it Intercepts Missiles, Drones

Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki
Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki
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Saudi Coalition Says it Intercepts Missiles, Drones

Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki
Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki

Official Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki said early on Saturday that the Coalition had intercepted two ballistic missiles and two drones launched by the Houthis towards the Kingdom.

Al-Malki said in separate statements that the missiles were headed towards Khamis Mushait and the drones towards the capital, Riyadh, adding that the Coalition was monitoring the missile threat and drones launched at the Kingdom.

The Saudi civil defense had ⁠sent alerts overnight ⁠for Khamis Mushait and Abha.

Gulf

Albudaiwi: Water Security is Strategic Priority for Gulf Stability, Energy Security

Part of the "Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action" session held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York (GCC)
Part of the "Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action" session held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York (GCC)
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Albudaiwi: Water Security is Strategic Priority for Gulf Stability, Energy Security

Part of the "Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action" session held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York (GCC)
Part of the "Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action" session held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York (GCC)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi stressed that water security constitutes a strategic priority for GCC member states, directly intersecting with human security, economic prosperity, food security, and energy security as a fundamental pillar of stability.

Albudaiwi made the remarks during a panel titled "Water as a Strategic Imperative: From Global Challenges to Collective Action," organized by the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, SPA reported.

He noted that enduring regional water scarcity has driven GCC countries to innovate, invest, and build extensive expertise in desalination, wastewater recycling, demand management, and advanced technologies, while strengthening the water-energy-food-climate nexus.

Emphasizing that technology alone cannot guarantee water security, Albudaiwi highlighted ongoing GCC joint initiatives to establish a regional water grid interconnection. The project aims to bolster supply security, regional readiness, and emergency response capabilities during crises.

He also called for leveraging artificial intelligence, smart water management systems, and renewable energy, alongside collaborative financing models linking governments, development institutions, and the private sector to develop scalable infrastructure projects.

Albudaiwi concluded by pointing to the upcoming UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal in Abu Dhabi in December 2026, as a pivotal platform to advance multilateral water partnerships and tangible investments.