The United States is not taking a position on a proposed treaty between Belgium and Iran that experts agree is being crafted in a way that would hasten efforts to negotiate a controversial prisoner swap.
Amid growing concern from foreign policy hawks on Capitol Hill as well as demonstrations from Iranian nationals in downtown Washington DC, the State Department is refusing to take sides over the proposed deal which Belgium’s parliament began debating on Tuesday. The proposal would allow the government of Belgium to extradite individuals with Iranian citizenship who are convicted of committing or attempting to commit terrorist attacks in Europe; it is seen as being the result of efforts to allow Belgium’s government to exchange a convicted Iranian diplomat for a citizen of Belgium who was only revealed to be in captivity in Iran this week.
