TEHRAN- Following the desecration of the holy Quran for the second time in less than a month in Sweden, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has stated that Iran will not accept a new ambassador from that nation.

In a televised interview on Friday, he stressed 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.”

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 police. 

Amir Abdollahian referred to the widespread protests that were conducted across the country to denounce the action as evidence that the Iranian people will never support any act of sacrilege against the Quran.

The Swedish ambassador’s mission in Tehran, according to the top Iranian diplomat, has ended. Based on the presidential order, he said, neither Iran nor Sweden will send a new ambassador.

Accordingly, the new Swedish ambassador was scheduled to arrive in Tehran within the next two days.

Amir Abdollahian argued that the perpetrator of the sacrilege should be dealt with by the Swedish government in a severe and effective manner.

Speaking in a phone call with his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billström on Friday, Iran’s chief diplomat said that “desecration of the Quran and other sacred texts of divine religions is highly opposed anywhere, by anybody, and under any circumstances.”

Repeating similar crimes under the guise of freedom of speech is intolerable, he stressed.

While Sweden claims to be a pioneer in upholding human rights, how can it ignore the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council condemning the insult to religious sanctities in less than 10 days? he asked his counterpart.

He said that in addition to denunciation, the perpetrator or perpetrators of the wicked movement should be detained and put on trial if this happened to any of the Abrahamic religions or other sacred texts.

Amir Abdollahian said the offender has to be detained, brought to justice, and made to answer for his crimes.

Otherwise, he said, Sweden would have to wait until the Islamic nations make a final decision.

In yet another phone call with Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha on Friday, Amir Abdollahian asked the Muslim world to stand united in their condemnation of Sweden.

The foreign minister called for an urgent OIC conference to discuss the repeat of the sacrilege against the holy book in Sweden.

The OIC secretary general focused on the steps the organization has previously made in this respect while denouncing the insult.

Also, in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hossein on Thursday, Amir Abdollahian moved to condemn the disgusting move.

In the same day, he also sent a letter to Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres, saying, “The regrettable news of the fresh desecration of the holy Quran in Sweden has severely hurt the feelings of the world’s Muslims and followers of divine religions, and the shock and worry caused by such sacrilegious acts are spreading,” Amir Abdollahian said in the letter.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the Swedish authorities’ move to give permission for the profane and provocative act of defiling the Quran - the holy book of world Muslims - which has happened for the second time in the past month and it strongly warns that the continuation of such acts under the guise of freedom of speech constitutes a gross insult to all Muslims and provokes different communities with the aim of promoting Islamophobia and extremism,” he added.