TEHRAN – Iran has summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Tehran in response to the “provocative and baseless” statements made by Sweden’s Minister of Education, Johan Pehrson, regarding the Islamic Republic.

On Monday, Swedish diplomat Mattias Otterstedt was called to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, where Shahram Qazizadeh, head of the ministry’s Third Department for Western Europe, delivered a formal protest against Pehrson’s comments. The Swedish minister had referred to Iran as a “rogue state” and a “sponsor of terrorism” in an interview with Swedish daily Expressen.  

Qazizadeh dismissed Pehrson’s remarks as “unfounded, interventionist, and a violation of international norms.” He further criticized the Swedish government for its pattern of engaging in baseless accusations and hostile rhetoric against Iran, warning that such statements could further strain diplomatic relations between the two nations.  

Pehrson’s remarks came in response to a report by Expressen, which alleged that an Iranian student at Sweden’s Lund University had previously worked for Iran’s intelligence services. Iran has strongly denied these claims, calling them part of a broader Western effort to tarnish the country’s image and hinder academic and scientific cooperation.  

Qazizadeh also condemned Sweden’s recent summoning of Iran’s ambassador to Stockholm. Swedish authorities had demanded the immediate release of Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-born Swedish resident who was convicted in Iran for espionage on behalf of Israel’s Mossad, an operation that was linked to the assassination of two Iranian nuclear scientists.  

Qazizadeh emphasized that Sweden had no right to interfere in Iran’s legal proceedings or question the rulings of its judiciary. “The Swedish government is in no position to challenge the legal decisions of another country or advocate for individuals whose crimes have been established through due process,” he stated.