Kuwait handed over 47 Iranian prisoners to the Islamic republic under a bilateral prisoner exchange agreement, the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said in a statement Saturday.

DUBAI (Sputnik) � It noted that the decision was carried out�under the terms of�a bilateral agreement between�the two countries. Tehran and Kuwait City agreed to�implement a prisoner exchange agreement signed years ago last February.

"The State of�Kuwait�s commitment to�the charter of�human rights and international conventions and under�the guidance of� Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al Khalid Al Sabah� issued a decree extraditing nationals of�the Islamic Republic of�Iran� numbering 47," the ministry said.

Kuwait expelled the Iranian ambassador and withdrew its envoy from�Tehran in�show of�support for�Saudi Arabia, which severed diplomatic ties with�Iran in�January. The spat came in�response to�attacks on�Saudi diplomatic missions in�Tehran and Mashhad, triggered by�the execution of�a prominent Shiite cleric in�Riyadh.
By Sputnik