Quran Desecration: Iran Will Not Accept New Swedish Ambassador

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said that Iran will not accept a new Swedish ambassador following the desecration of the Holy Quran in the Scandinavian country, the second such incident in less than a month.

"Based on an order by President [Ebrahim Raisi], the new ambassador of Sweden will not be allowed to return to Iran until the country's government takes a serious and effective measure to deal with the continuous violation of Islamic sanctities," Amir Abdollahian said in a televised interview on Friday.

He made the remarks a day after a Sweden-based Iraqi refugee desecrated the Muslim holy book during a demonstration outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm amid strict protection provided by the Swedish police.

The appalling act opened the floodgates of protest across the Muslim community worldwide.

Amir Abdollahian said the Iranian nation proved that they would never accept any act of sacrilege against the Holy Quran, referring to the mass rallies held across the country to condemn the move.

The top Iranian diplomat said the Swedish ambassador's mission in Tehran had terminated. He said according to the presidential order Iran would not receive a new Swedish ambassador, who was expected to arrive in Tehran within the next few days, and would also dispatch no new ambassador to Stockholm.

The Swedish government should take serious and effective action to deal with the person responsible for the desecration, Amir Abdollahian said.

The Iranian foreign minister further pointed to his phone call with his Swedish counterpart earlier in the day and said he would also hold phone talks with secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] and his Saudi counterpart to take a united stance vis-à-vis the issue.

In the phone conversation with his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom, Amir Abdollahian warned Sweden of “decisive decisions” by Muslim countries in case the situation is not handled properly.

During the talk, the top Swedish diplomat said the government condemned the desecration. He said the Swedish police only permitted gatherings and the individual who insulted Quran had exploited this permit.