Iran Holds Trial for Swedish EU Employee Accused of Spying for Israel

Iran has begun the trial of Johan Floderus, a Swedish national employed by the European Union, who is charged with spying for Israel and "corruption on earth," a crime that carries the death penalty in Iran. Floderus, who works for the EU diplomatic service, was arrested in April 2022 and is being held in Tehran's Evin prison. Iran accuses him of operating through US and European projects to gather intelligence for Israel. Sweden has called for his immediate release, stating that the accusations are false and that he has been arbitrarily detained. Relations between Sweden and Iran have been tense since 2019, and rights groups have accused Iran of using arrests on security charges to extract political concessions.