Josep Borrell Confirms; The Arrested 'Swedish Citizen' in Iran Has a Background Working for the European Union

Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, confirmed today, Tuesday, September 14, that the Swedish citizen arrested in Iran previously worked for the European Union. Borrell stated that the Union will 'strongly' work for the release of this Swedish citizen. Earlier, Peter Stano, spokesperson for the EU's foreign policy chief, had informed Voice of America about the situation of an EU employee who has been detained by the Islamic Republic for over a year, saying, 'We are aware of the case of a detained Swedish citizen in Iran and are closely following it.' This senior EU diplomat emphasized that he would not comment on the details of the matter, stating, 'We are in very close contact with Swedish officials regarding consular duties.' Stano added that to protect 'the interests and safety of the individual concerned,' no further information would be made public. According to him, the arrest of this Swedish citizen falls within the framework of 'the increasing number of arbitrary detentions of EU citizens.' Stano clarified, 'In close cooperation with the involved [European] governments, we have taken every opportunity to raise [this] issue with Iranian officials to secure the release of all arbitrarily detained European citizens and will continue to do so.' The New York Times reported on Monday, September 4, that Johan Flodros, an EU employee, has been imprisoned in Iran for over 500 days. The New York Times cited informed sources stating that Mr. Flodros, 33 years old and from Sweden, traveled to Iran last spring with several compatriots for a private tourist trip. He was arrested on April 17 when he attempted to leave Iran at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport. The Islamic Republic announced in July of last year the arrest of a Swedish citizen on charges of 'espionage.' Johan Flodros, who is now in Evin Prison, has held several positions in EU-related institutions. He also appeared in a promotional campaign aimed at attracting Swedish youth to jobs in the EU. The New York Times spoke with six informed individuals on this matter, all of whom requested anonymity due to potential repercussions. All six denied the 'espionage' accusations against this EU official. The Swedish Foreign Ministry, while refraining from commenting on the details of the incident, stated in an email to The New York Times, 'A Swedish citizen in his 30s was arrested in Iran in April 2022. The Foreign Ministry and the Swedish Embassy in Tehran are working intensively on [this] case.' The Swedish Foreign Ministry added, 'We understand the interest in this matter, but according to our assessment, if the ministry speaks publicly about its actions, it will complicate the handling of [this] case.' Flodros has been an assistant to Ilva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Migration, since 2019. He also joined the 'European External Action Service' in 2021. This body, which combines the EU's foreign affairs and defense ministries, is currently overseen by Josep Borrell. Informed sources told The New York Times that this Swedish citizen had previously visited Iran under the EU development program without any issues. The Iranian report last year regarding the arrest of a Swedish citizen also referred to his previous trips to Iran as a reason for his 'malicious activities.' The 'European External Action Service' stated that it is 'closely following the case of a detained Swedish citizen in Iran' but did not mention whether Mr. Flodros works for this body or that he had previously traveled to Iran for EU-related matters. Nabila Misrali, a spokesperson for this European body, noted the 'increasing number of arbitrary detentions of European citizens,' stating, 'We have taken every opportunity to raise this issue with Iranian officials to secure the release of all arbitrarily detained European citizens and will continue to do so.' Mr. Flodros's father has refrained from commenting on his son's situation. Relations between Iran and Sweden are very cold. In July of last year, a court in Sweden sentenced Hamid Noury, a former judicial official of the Islamic Republic, to life imprisonment for his involvement in the massacre of political prisoners in 1988. Noury has requested a review of this ruling. A month after Mr. Flodros's arrest, the Islamic Republic sentenced Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish researcher, to death on fabricated and baseless charges such as 'espionage' and 'aiding the assassination of nuclear scientists by Israel.' In the same month, the Islamic Republic executed Habib Asyoud, an Iranian-Swedish citizen, who had been abducted from Turkey in 2020. The non-disclosure of the arrest of this 33-year-old Swedish diplomat by Swedish and EU officials comes at a time when Western officials have repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of adopting 'hostage diplomacy' to gain political concessions. In recent years, the Islamic Republic has sought to exchange dual nationals and foreign citizens arrested on fabricated charges for Iranians imprisoned in Europe and the United States or to use them as leverage to gain money and other concessions. Last month, the United States agreed to release six billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets in South Korea in exchange for the release of five of its detained citizens in Iran.