Iran-Sweden Prisoner Swap Completed with Oman's Mediation

Iran and Sweden conducted a prisoner swap on Saturday, releasing Iranian Hamid Nouri, convicted of war crimes related to 1988 mass executions, in exchange for Swedish diplomat Johan Floderus and another Swedish-Iranian citizen, Saeed Azizi. Nouri was arrested in Sweden in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison in 2022, sparking the detentions of the two Swedes. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the detentions as a 'hell on earth' and criticized Iran's strategy of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips. The swap was mediated by Oman, a longstanding intermediary between Iran and the West. Nouri's release was criticized by the Iranian dissident group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, which warned it could embolden further acts of terrorism and hostage-taking by Iran.