Iran’s president orders halt to exchange of envoys with Sweden

Pointing to the suspension of the exchange of ambassadors between Iran and Sweden following the desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reminded the Swedish government that a mere statement in condemnation of such an act of sacrilege is not enough.

The Iranian president on July 23 said, "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," Tasnim news agency reports.

Raisi made the comments after a Sweden-based Iraqi refugee, identified as Salwan Momika, desecrated Muslims' holy book. He committed the sacrilegious act first in front of Stockholm's biggest mosque in late June, and for the second time outside the Iraqi embassy in the same city on Thursday, amid strict protection provided by the Swedish police.

The act of sacrilege has opened the floodgates of protests across the Muslim world, including in Iran, with all Muslim countries issuing vehement condemnations of the heinous act.

Noting that the tenures of the current Iranian and Swedish ambassadors have come to an end, Iran's president said he has ordered the Foreign Ministry not to go ahead with the exchange of new ambassadors between the two countries, Press TV reported.

Reacting to Momika's sacrilegious act, Iran has already summoned Sweden's envoy to Tehran to convey the Islamic Republic's strongly-worded protest to the Swedish government.