The arrest comes amid growing tensions between Tehran and Stockholm.
Tehran, Iran – Iran’s intelligence ministry said it had arrested a Swedish citizen for espionage after he was under surveillance for some time.
A statement by the intelligence ministry on Saturday did not name the Swedish citizen or provide any information about his age or whereabouts.
It’s not clear if this is the same individual or not Who has been arrested has been announced by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May. At the time, Sweden said a tourist in his 30s had been detained, but Iran did not report the arrest.
But the statement by Iran’s intelligence ministry on Saturday mentioned that the individual’s travels were closely monitored from the unspecified time he entered the country and that his travels ” is done entirely outside of tourist sites and activities”.
“The findings of the ministry’s anti-espionage structure show that the Swedish suspect was in contact with a number of suspected European and non-European elements in Iran, using professional means of communication. , security and secrecy,” it said.
The ministry said the Swedish citizen re-entered the country a few months ago, shortly after “another European spy” was arrested.
The goal of this individual, it claimed, was to find out how the other was arrested and what information they had that led to the Swedish citizen being arrested while attempting to leave the country.
Iran’s intelligence ministry also said the individual arrested had a history of travel to Israel, Iran’s arch-enemy.
In May, Iranian intelligence arrested two French citizens accused of helping organize the protests by the teachers.
In the past week, Iran Intelligence and executive The agencies announced the arrest of two separate teams believed to be working for the Israeli spy agency Mossad.
News of the Swedish citizen’s arrest comes amid growing tensions between Tehran and Stockholm.
Iran has condemned Sweden for the arrest and trial of Hamid Nouri, an Iranian citizen who sentenced to life in prison in the first day of this month.
Nouri was found guilty of murder while working as an assistant to a deputy prosecutor at Gohardasht prison outside the Iranian city of Karaj in 1988.
Tehran recalled its ambassador to Sweden last week for “consultations” but said it had no immediate plans to cut or reduce diplomatic ties.
Iran is also holding Ahmad Reza Jalali, a Swedish researcher of Iranian descent, jailed since 2016 on espionage charges.
Jalali has been sentenced to death but his sentence has yet to be carried out despite reports earlier this year that he could be executed before the end of May.
