The Iranian intelligence ministry has announced the arrest of a Swedish national on charges of espionage.
The alleged spy is accused of trying to determine how another European spy who was recently apprehended in Iran came to be identified by the country’s authorities, and what information they had.
The Swedish national had apparently been under surveillance for some time, in the course of which the authorities found that this person’s itinerary was entirely inconsistent with tourist activities. The individual also had a history of travelling to Israel, with which Iran is engaged in a long-term, simmering conflict.
The arrest follows the announcement that several spies affiliated with Mossad have also been arrested recently, as well as that of two French nationals last May on charges of organising protests in Iran.
The frequency of such arrests indicates a possible spike in conflict and intelligence gathering activities, and a likely further degradation of Iranian-European relations.
