"We are aware and we have been following very closely the case of a Swedish national detained in Iran," Peter Stano, the European Commission's spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, said on Monday afternoon, according to Euronews TV website.
The comments follow an exclusive report by the New York Times that revealed a 33-year-old Swedish citizen named Johan Floderus has been held in the Evin prison, Teheran, for more than 500 days.
According to the newspaper, Floderus works for the European External Action Service (EEAS), the bloc's diplomatic service, and had previously visited Iran in an official capacity.
However, when he was apprehended by Iranian authorities on 17 April 2022, Floderus was on a private tourist trip alongside his friends.
He was then charged with "espionage."
In reaction to the report, Stano declined to confirm the identity of the prisoner, simply indicating he was of Swedish nationality. The spokesperson also refused to confirm whether the person was employed by the EEAS, as the New York Times indicated, or had any other professional affiliation with the EU institutions.
The European Commission and the EEAS are working "closely" and "discreetly" with Sweden, Stano noted, which "has the primarily consular responsibility for its citizens anywhere in the world."
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani said in a press conference earlier today that he had no information on the case.
MNA/PR;5879116
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