Iran welcomes deal between Yemen’s sides to swap nearly 3,000 prisoners
The spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the Yemeni Ansarullah resistance movement’s deal with the Saudi-backed fugitive government on a prisoner swap that includes nearly 3,000 people in total, expressing hope the step would help restore peace and stability across Yemen.
In a brief statement on Wednesday, Esmaeil Baghaei expressed appreciation for Oman’s good-faith mediation efforts and praised its important role in facilitating talks between Yemeni officials from both sides and concluding the humanitarian measure.
He also hoped that the prisoner exchange agreement would pave the way for the resolution of all lingering issues, restoration of calm and serenity throughout Yemen, and preservation of its national unity and cohesion.
The deal came after nearly a fortnight of discussions between officials from Yemen’s Ansarullah movement and the Saudi-backed fugitive government in Muscat, the capital of neighboring Oman.
The agreement to free 2,900 detainees marks the largest swap during the 11-year Yemen conflict.
Majed Fadhail, a member of the Saudi-backed government delegation, said they had agreed with Ansarullah on a new exchange that would see “thousands” of war prisoners released.
Abdulqader al-Mortada, an official with the Ansarullah delegation, said in a statement on the social media platform X that “we signed an agreement today with the other party to implement a large-scale prisoner exchange deal involving 1,700 of our prisoners in exchange for 1,200 of theirs, including seven Saudis and 23 Sudanese.”
United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg in a statement, welcomed the agreement as “a positive and meaningful step that will hopefully ease the suffering of detainees and their families across Yemen.”
He added that its “effective implementation will require the continued engagement and cooperation of the parties, coordinated regional support and sustained efforts to build on this progress toward further releases.”
Yemen has endured external interference for decades. Ansarullah holds significant control over the northwest region, including the capital Sana’a.
The resistance movement has drawn international attention for targeting Israel and maritime activities in the Red Sea, particularly in the context of Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.
The United States and Israel have carried out lethal strikes in Sana’a, leading to civilian casualties.
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