Iran

Sweden Confirms Citizen Detained In Iran On Allegations Of Spying For Israel

A security guard patrols a street in Tehran in the early hours of a cease-fire between Israel and Iran on June 24. Iranian police reported detaining around 21,000 people for alleged security violations during the 12-day war, though the number still in custody is unclear.

Sweden has confirmed that one of its citizens is in Iranian custody after Tehran announced that a Swedish national is on trial for allegedly spying for Israel.

In a December 16 statement to RFE/RL's Radio Farda, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said it is "in touch with the man's family" and that he "is being represented by legal counsel." The ministry declined to provide further details "out of consideration for consular confidentiality and in order not to hinder our work."

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on December 16 that the Iranian-Swedish dual national "was recruited by Israeli intelligence in 2023," made "several trips to the occupied territories -- most recently two weeks before entering Iran," and was carrying "electronic espionage equipment." He claimed the suspect has "confessed" to spying for Israel.

Jahangir added -- in apparent contradiction to the timeline -- that the accused entered Iran "one month before the start" of the 12-day war with Israel in June and was staying in a villa near Karaj, 45 kilometers northeast of Tehran. Earlier, the head of Alborz Province's justice department said the man was detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on the war's fourth day, June 16.

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Iranian police reported detaining around 21,000 people for alleged security violations during the June war, though the number still in custody is unclear; the judiciary chief had cited about 2,000 arrests, with many released after clearance.

Since late June, Iran has executed several people convicted of pre-war spying for Israel amid fears of Mossad infiltration enabling attacks inside the country.

Security agencies have long targeted dual nationals with arrests, property seizures, and family pressure to force returns in a practice rights groups call "hostage diplomacy." Human Rights Watch says authorities have "systematically" violated due process through politically motivated arrests. Tehran treats dual citizens solely as Iranian nationals, refusing to recognize dual nationality.