TEHRAN- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has panned the Swedish government’s response to the burning of the holy Quran on its land, saying that just condemning the sacrilegious conduct is not enough.

“Issuing a statement to condemn the insult against the holy Quran by the Swedish government is by no means sufficient and this government must bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice,” the president stated in remarks on Saturday. 

The remarks were made by Raisi in response to the desecration of the Quran by Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden. 

He carried out the sacrilegious act twice, first in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque on June 28 and once more on July 20 in front of the Iraqi embassy, both times under the strong protection of the Swedish police.

The sacrilegious conducts have sparked widespread protests around the Muslim world, particularly in Iran. All Muslim nations have issued harsh condemnations of the act.

Given that the current terms of the Iranian and Swedish ambassadors are about to expire, Iran’s president stated he has directed the Foreign Ministry not to proceed with the exchange of new ambassadors.

Iran has already invited Sweden’s envoy to Tehran in response to Momika’s sacrilegious behavior in order to convey the Islamic Republic’s angry with the Swedish authorities for letting the acts to go ahead.

Following the burning of the Quran in Sweden, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian declared on Friday that his nation will not accept a new ambassador from Stockholm.

He said in an interview that “based on an order by President Ebrahim Raisi, the new ambassador of Sweden will not be allowed to come to Iran until the country’s government takes a serious and effective measure to deal with the continuous violation of Islamic sanctities.”

Raisi also referred to the statements made earlier on Saturday by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in which he demanded the “severest punishment” for the person responsible for the blasphemous acts.

In his message, the Leader described the support of the Swedish government for the desecrator as equivalent to entering a “battle-array” with the Islami world.

The moves have fueled hatred and enmity toward the Swedes among all Muslims as well as many Muslim governments, Ayatollah Khamenei lamented.

Ayatollah Khamenei added, “The insult to the holy Quran in Sweden is a bitter, conspiratorial, and dangerous event.”

The Leader said, “It is the opinion of all Islamic scholars that the agent who has insulted the Quran deserve the severest punishment.” 

Raisi said, “As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out, this incident is a conspiratorial and dangerous development and the support of the Swedish government for this criminal act is equivalent to taking battle array against the Muslim world.” 

Iran has also sent a letter to Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, asking him to take a tough stance against such sacrilegious activities and demand that the UN member nations do all in their power to stop such things from happening again.

No safe haven for Quran desecrators: IRGC chief

According to the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Muslims will soon exact vengeance on those involved and liable for the newest act of desecration against the holy book.

“We will not allow those who insult the Quran to be secure,” Major General Hossein Salami said on Saturday. 

Salami emphasized the necessity for international solidarity in the face of such acts and encouraged Muslim nations to take all necessary steps to stop the pernicious practice of Islamophobia and disrespect to the Quran and Muslims’ sacred values.

Based on the remarks by the IRGC chief such blasphemous activities would only strengthen “Muslim solidarity and cohesiveness” and “arouse more animosity” toward all those who transgress Islamic sanctities.

The extremist’s desecration of the Quran in Stockholm has led to significant protests and outrage in the Muslim world.

People have held protests in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, and other nations to denounce the blasphemous conduct.

On Thursday, demonstrators in Baghdad stormed into the Swedish embassy and burned part of it to express their outrage at the sacrilegious deed.

Angry reactions in Iran to the desecration of the Quran in Europe continued to rage on amid the global outcry over the repetition of the act.

After Friday prayers, millions of believers across Iran held rallies, carrying copies of the Quran and chanting “Death to the Americanized Sweden. Death to Israel”.

In a latest move on Sunday, World Assembly of Islamic Awakening as well as Iran’s embassy in Denmark slammed the conduct, calling for a fair trial for all perpetrators and supporters.