The person was arrested by Iranian authorities in June 2025. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) confirmed in December that the man was imprisoned in Iran.
"When I learned late yesterday that the execution was imminent, I immediately sought talks with my counterpart, the Iranian Foreign Minister, to protest in the strongest possible terms. But unfortunately my counterpart did not make himself available for talks," says Malmer Stenergard.
Out of consideration for the relatives, she does not want to go into who the person in question is, but according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is the same person who was described in Swedish media in December.
The Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali has also been imprisoned and sentenced to death in Iran. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to demand his immediate release on humanitarian grounds.
Not recognized
The person who has now been executed came to Sweden in 2015 and became a Swedish citizen in 2019. However, the Swedish citizenship has not been recognized by Iran, according to Malmer Stenergard. Swedish representatives have therefore only been able to follow the legal process remotely.
We stand by the fact that this was about a Swedish citizen, that we had the right to consular access. But as I said, it has been very difficult, just like in other cases.
Sweden both called and held talks with Iran's ambassador in Stockholm on Wednesday, and expressed "our very clear protests" in Tehran, the Foreign Minister says.
Relations are strained
Relations between Sweden and Iran are already very strained, partly because Sweden has been "very proactive" in putting more pressure on Iran in various contexts, according to Malmer Stenergard.
It is clear that this makes things even more difficult.
We will of course consider all possible measures, but we have already taken many measures to put pressure on the Iranian regime.
