Iran expelled a Swedish diplomat after Sweden took a similar action, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The Swedish diplomat, who took office in September, was forced out of Tehran at the end of February, the Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gufran al-Nadaf told local media, but the official refused to give details.
Sweden expelled an Iranian diplomat earlier in the year, setting the stage for a response from Iran.
"A likely explanation is that it was related to spying on refugees and the expulsion of the Swedish diplomat is likely retaliation from the Iranian side," Said Mahmoudi, a human rights and Iran expert based at Stockholm University, told the Swedish newspaper Expressen.
Bilateral relations between Sweden and Iran have been strained since Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt criticized Iran for violating human rights and restricting freedom of expression.
Source:Xinhua
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