Iran urges Sweden to reconsider choices leading to ‘regrettable shift’ in bilateral ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has expressed regret over Sweden’s shift in policy towards the Islamic Republic, calling on Stockholm to reconsider choices that have strained diplomatic relations between the two sides.

Araghchi made the remarks in a post on his X account on Saturday, a day after Sweden demanded that Iran release Ahmad Reza Jalali, a convict who is on death row, after his wife said he had a heart attack in prison and his life is “at immediate risk.”

“There was a time when relations between Iran and Sweden flourished; Iranian enterprises prized Swedish brands like Scania and Volvo, and there was plenty of travel and other engagement. But over the past decade, we have seen a regrettable shift,” Araghchi said.

“Astonishingly, Swedish authorities also decided to grant citizenship to a convicted criminal AFTER his sentencing for serious violations: an Iranian national with ties to Sweden so strong that he barely speaks some word of Swedish. None of this makes any sense from Iran’s perspective,” he added.

The Iranian foreign minister further urged his Swedish counterpart, Maria Malmer Stenergard, to reconsider the choices that have brought the two countries to where they are today instead of “walking further into a dead end.”

Araghci also noted that Iranian enterprises are eager to engage in lawful trade with Sweden, stressing that “it is time to do away with tired rhetoric and open a new chapter.”

On Friday, Jalali’s wife wrote in a post on X that her husband had suffered a heart attack in Tehran’s Evin prison, alleging that he was told he could not see a cardiologist until Sunday.

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Stenergard said in a post on X that she had “spoken urgently tonight with the Iranian foreign minister.”

“During the conversation, I demanded that Ahmad Reza Jalali immediately receive the specialized care he needs,” she added.

In his post, Araghchi rejected the allegation that Jalali had been denied medical care. “Despite the seriousness of the convicted criminal’s offenses, he has, like other prisoners, access to medical care and facilities.”

Jalali, an Iran-born resident of Sweden, has been convicted in Iran of espionage for Israel’s spy agency Mossad, which led to the assassination of two Iranian nuclear scientists. His death sentence was recently upheld by the country’s apex court, and he is likely to be executed soon.

Jalali was arrested in 2016 while visiting Iran. Based on his confessions, he had spied for the Israeli spy agency and was found guilty of complicity in the assassination of two prominent Iranian scientists.

He was granted Swedish citizenship while in jail.