Sweden and Iran reach detainee exchange agreement, authorities confirm.
The prisoner exchange was facilitated by Oman, as per a statement from the country's foreign ministry.
"Due to Oman's mediation, both parties agreed on a mutual release, with the released individuals being transferred from Tehran and Stockholm," the statement read.
It was reported that Sweden granted freedom to a convicted former Iranian official, Hamid Noury, as Iran's top human rights official stated. Noury, who was convicted for his role in a mass execution of political prisoners in Iran in 1988, was expected to return to Iran shortly, the official added.
On a separate note, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced in a statement that two Swedish citizens, Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi, who had been detained in Iran, were on a plane back to Sweden.
"Iran manipulatively used these Swedish citizens as bargaining chips in a cold-hearted negotiation game, with the primary objective of securing the release of Iranian citizen Hamid Noury from prison in Sweden," Kristersson stated.
"As prime minister, I hold a significant responsibility for the safety of Swedish citizens. The government has, therefore, dedicated considerable efforts towards this issue, collaborating with the Swedish security services that conducted negotiations with Iran."
Kristersson confirmed in a video released by the government that Noury was now being transported back to Iran. Kristersson refrained from sharing further explicit details, citing security concerns.
Noury, aged 63, was apprehended at a Stockholm airport in 2019 and later sentenced to life imprisonment for war crimes due to his involvement in the mass execution and torture of political prisoners at the Gohardasht prison in Karaj, Iran, in 1988. He refuted the charges.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition of groups that oppose Iran's Islamic Republic government, expressed concerns that Sweden had caved in to blackmail and hostage-taking tactics, an act that could possibly empower Tehran.
Floderus, an EU employee, was detained in Iran in 2022 and charged with espionage for Israel and "corruption on earth," a crime punishable by death.
Saeed Azizi, a Swedish-Iranian dual national, was arrested in Iran in November 2023 on unfounded charges, as per Sweden's claims.
Another Swedish-Iranian dual national, Ahmadreza Djalali, arrested in 2016, continues to be imprisoned in an Iranian jail. A doctor by profession, Djalali was apprehended in 2016 during an academic visit to Iran.
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Following the prisoner exchange, Sweden's role in the global scene was questioned, with some criticizing the country for potentially validating Iran's hostage-taking tactics on the world stage.
Despite tensions and diplomatic challenges, Europe continues to engage with Iran, recognizing the vast cultural and economic potential that lies within the much larger Middle Eastern continent.
