The European Union has been intensifying its pressure on Tehran for months, urging the release of a Swedish diplomat held captive for approximately 500 days, as confirmed by the EU’s Foreign Policy Coordinator, Josep Borrell.
Sweden and the European Commission announced on Monday that a Swedish national has been detained in Iran. This came in the wake of a report published in the ‘New York Times’.
Borrell further clarified on Tuesday that the detained individual is Johan Flodieros, a Swedish diplomat working for the EU, who has been in Iranian custody for more than 500 days.
Arriving at an informal EU Development Ministers‘ meeting in Cadiz, Spain, Borrell told reporters that Brussels is actively advocating for the release of the 33-year-old diplomat.
On Monday, Swedish and EU officials stated that a Swedish man in his thirties had been incarcerated in Iran since April 2022. Borrell went a step further, naming the detained individual and confirming his position within the EU diplomatic corps.
Borrell commented, “I’d like to address a specific situation concerning Mr. Flodieros. He’s a Swedish citizen who worked for the EU and has been unlawfully detained in Iran for 500 days.”
He further added, “I want to stress that both myself and my entire team, at all levels across European institutions, in close coordination with the Swedish authorities primarily responsible for consular protection, and with his family, are pressuring Iranian authorities for his release.”
Borrell continued, “Every time we engage in diplomatic talks at any level, we raise this issue. This matter remains at the forefront of our agenda and in our hearts. We will not rest until Flodieros is free.”
