Iran acknowledges arrest of Swedish EU official for unspecified crimes

Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The Iranian government on Tuesday acknowledged the arrest of Johan Floderus, an E.U. official held in the country for more than 500 days.

While not mentioning Floderus by name, Iranian Judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi confirmed on Tuesday that a Swedish national had been imprisoned in Iran for unspecified crimes in Iranian territory.

Setayeshi added that investigations were being completed and the case would be sent to court in the coming days.

The European Union and the Swedish government broke their silence last week about E.U. Floderus being arrested in Tehran in April 2022. He has been held in an Iranian prison since while negotiations for his release had continued quietly until this month.

Floderus was working for the European External Action Service at the time of his arrest. The New York Times first made the story public and his family has since started a campaign supporting his release from the notorious Ervin prison.

"His need for adequate food rations outside walks, medical checkups and much more are not respected," Floderus's family said in a statement. "His exposure to fresh air and sunlight is restricted to only three and a half hours per week. In blatant disregard of international guidelines, he has spent more than 300 days in solitary confinement."

Iran reportedly sought to negotiate the release of Iranian official Hamid Nouri in exchange for freeing Floderus.

European Union officials have said that they are doing everything in their power to free Floderus through negotiations.