Sweden and Iran conducted a prisoner exchange on Saturday, facilitated by Oman, resulting in the release of individuals held in each country. Sweden released former Iranian official Hamid Noury, who had been convicted for his involvement in a mass execution in the 1980s in Iran. In return, Iran released two Swedish citizens, Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi.
The mediation efforts by Oman led to a mutual agreement between the two nations for the exchange of prisoners. Noury, who had been serving a life sentence in Sweden for war crimes related to the mass execution of political prisoners in Iran, was set to return to Iran shortly after his release.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed his government's commitment to ensuring the safety of its citizens and highlighted the intense negotiations conducted with Iran to secure the release of Floderus and Azizi. Kristersson condemned Iran's use of the Swedish citizens as bargaining tools in exchange for Noury's release.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran criticized Sweden's decision, suggesting that it may have succumbed to blackmail and hostage-taking tactics by Iran, potentially setting a concerning precedent.
Floderus, an EU employee, was arrested in Iran on espionage charges in 2022, while Azizi, a Swedish-Iranian dual national, was detained in Iran in 2023 under disputed circumstances. Another Swedish-Iranian dual national, Ahmadreza Djalali, remains imprisoned in Iran since his arrest in 2016.
The prisoner exchange has drawn attention to the complex diplomatic relations between Sweden and Iran, raising concerns about the treatment of foreign nationals in Iranian custody and the implications of such negotiations on international diplomacy.
