Sweden expels Iran embassy employee, citing security concerns

What the report says

Sweden has expelled an employee at Iran’s embassy in Stockholm and summoned Iran’s ambassador, saying the move was needed to protect Swedish citizens and interests. The decision, reported by Al Jazeera on 16 September 2026, was tied to concerns that Iran-linked activity in Sweden was affecting Jewish and Israeli interests.

According to Sweden’s foreign minister, the embassy staff member was asked to leave because of conduct considered incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the government believed Iran had for some time carried out activities that threatened security in and against Sweden, including efforts directed at people opposing the Iranian government and at Jewish and Israeli targets. He also said Iranian authorities were using criminal networks to advance those aims.

A spokesman for Sweden’s Security Service told AFP that Iran continued to pose security threats in and against Sweden and that it had tried to use proxies, including criminal groups, to carry out attacks or violence. The report adds that Swedish authorities made similar allegations in 2024, accusing Iran of recruiting gang members for violent acts against Israeli and other interests. Iran denied that earlier accusation.

The article also notes a 2023 episode in which Sweden accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of hacking an SMS operator to send mass messages linked to protests over Quran burnings. The latest diplomatic step underscores ongoing strain in Sweden’s relations with Iran and broader European concerns about foreign-linked threats and the use of criminal networks.