Tensions have sharply risen in diplomatic relations between Iran and Sweden, following Iran’s declaration that it will not send a new ambassador to Stockholm against the backdrop of the Quran desecration incident. The declaration was made by Iran’s foreign minister, Hussein Amir-Abdollahian after a Quran was set alight outside a mosque in the Swedish capital.
A man of Iraqi descent reportedly tore apart and burnt a Quran in front of the central mosque in Stockholm last Wednesday, which corresponded to the first day of the Muslim festival, Eid al-Adha. The man has been charged by Swedish authorities with inciting hatred against an ethnic or national group.
In response to the incident, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Swedish Charge d’Affaires last Thursday to express their outrage at what they perceived as a grave insult to the most sacred symbols of Islam.
Abdollahian stated on Twitter this Sunday, “Despite the conclusion of administrative measures to appoint a new ambassador to Sweden, his appointment has been suspended due to the Swedish government’s stance on the desecration of the Holy Quran”, as reported by Reuters.
The timeframe for Iran’s decision to withhold sending an ambassador to Sweden remains unspecified.
Historically, diplomatic relations between Iran and Sweden have been strained. This tension has been exacerbated by events such as the detainment of Swedish nationals in Tehran and the arrest and subsequent trial of the representative of Iran’s former prosecutor in several Tehran prisons during a period of mass executions of thousands of dissenters in 1988.
Iran has called for the release of Hamid Nouri, whose trial it labels as momentous due to its links to the current Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and the mass execution files.
Iran’s judiciary’s human rights official, Kazem Gharib Abadi, claimed that “Nouri’s case is entirely politicized. He has rejected his verdict in the appeals court. We view Nouri as a hostage in Sweden, not a perpetrator of crimes.”
Abadi further noted, “We have informed the Swedes that the sole option for Mr. Nouri is to be exonerated and repatriated to Iran. The Swedes are devoid of evidence and solely defending a terrorist organization.”
Earlier this year, Tehran executed a Swedish-national Arab dissident two years post his abduction in Turkey. Ahmad Reza Jalali, a Swedish-Iranian, is also feared to be facing execution by human rights organizations, as he is charged with espionage for Israel, allegedly contributing to the assassination of nuclear scientists, charges Jalali adamantly denies.
