AhlulBayt News Agency: The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the prisoner swap deal between the Ansarullah-led Yemeni government and Saudi-backed secessionists, involving nearly 3,000 detainees, expressing hope that the agreement would contribute to restoring peace and stability across Yemen.
In a statement on Wednesday, Esmaeil Baghaei praised Oman’s sincere mediation efforts and highlighted its important role in facilitating dialogue between Yemeni officials from both sides and achieving this humanitarian outcome.
He further expressed hope that the prisoner exchange would pave the way for resolving outstanding issues, restoring calm throughout Yemen, and preserving national unity and cohesion.
The deal followed nearly two weeks of negotiations between representatives of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement and the Saudi-backed fugitive government in Muscat, Oman’s capital.
The agreement to release 2,900 detainees marks the largest prisoner swap in Yemen’s 11-year conflict.
Majed Fadhail, a member of the Saudi-backed delegation, confirmed that they had reached a new exchange agreement with Ansarullah that would see “thousands” of prisoners freed.
Abdulqader al-Mortada, representing Ansarullah, announced on X that “we signed an agreement today with the other party to implement a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,700 of our detainees in return for 1,200 of theirs, including seven Saudis and 23 Sudanese.”
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg welcomed the deal as “a positive and meaningful step that will hopefully ease the suffering of detainees and their families across Yemen.”
He added that “effective implementation will require continued cooperation between the parties, regional support, and sustained efforts to build on this progress toward further releases.”
Yemen has long suffered from external interference, with Ansarullah maintaining significant control over the northwest, including the capital Sana’a.
The resistance movement has drawn global attention for targeting Israel and maritime activities in the Red Sea, particularly amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
The United States and Israel have carried out deadly strikes in Sana’a, resulting in civilian casualties.
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