Iran gave a Swedish diplomat in Tehran 48 hours to leave the country on Thursday, after Sweden expelled a staff member from the Iranian embassy in Stockholm. Iran's foreign ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador to protest the move, calling it "unjustified and contrary to international law."
Why did Iran expel a Swedish diplomat?
Iran's move came in direct response to Sweden's decision a day earlier to remove an Iranian embassy employee from Stockholm. Swedish authorities accused Iran of long conducting activities that threaten Swedish security, targeting regime opponents as well as Jewish and Israeli interests in the country. Iran dismissed the accusations as "baseless."
Why did Sweden expel an Iranian embassy official?
Sweden's Security Service has previously accused Iran of recruiting criminal gang members to carry out acts of violence against Israeli and other interests on Swedish soil, a claim Iran has denied. Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, several Israeli-linked sites in Sweden have reportedly been targeted. In February 2024, police recovered a grenade thrown into the grounds of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm.
What has strained relations between Iran and Sweden?
Sweden is home to a large Iranian community, including exiled opponents of the regime. Diplomatic ties have remained tense for years, worsened by Iran's execution in March of an Iranian-Swedish citizen convicted of spying for Israel. Another dual national, Ahmadreza Djalali, has been imprisoned in Iran for more than a decade after being convicted in 2017 of collaborating with Israel's Mossad. Iran does not recognize dual citizenship.
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