Swedish citizen arrested in Iran

Stockholm reported Friday that Iranian officials had detained a Swedish man, potentially straining already strained ties between the two countries.

A Swedish man in his 30s “has lately been imprisoned,” according to Sweden’s foreign ministry.

“The embassy in Tehran is seeking further information in the matter and is in contact with local authorities,” it said in an email, providing no further details.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported the man was on holiday together with other Swedes when he was detained.

Relations between Sweden and Iran are already tense over a trial in Stockholm against an Iranian ex-prison official accused of war crimes over his alleged role in a 1988 purge of dissidents.

Hamid Noury, 61, was arrested at a Stockholm airport in November 2019 after Iranian dissidents in Sweden filed police complaints against him.

The trial ended on Wednesday with the court due to issue a verdict in July.

Earlier this week, Iran’s foreign ministry demanded Noury’s release, saying it considered his arrest and trial “illegal”.

Meanwhile, according to the Iranian news agency Isna, Iran aims to execute Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was condemned to death in 2017 for espionage for Israel, before May 21.

Last Monday, the Swedish foreign ministry recommended its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Iran.