nationboards.

Relationship dossier

Iran Sweden

Relationship assessment

Serious consular and legal disputes coexist with diplomatic engagement and a 2024 prisoner exchange.

Iran toward Sweden

-45

Iran detained Swedish citizens Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi. In June 2024, Iran released them in an exchange for Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian official convicted in Sweden.

Sweden toward Iran

-30

Swedish courts prosecuted Hamid Nouri, sentencing him to life imprisonment in 2022 for crimes linked to the 1988 prison executions in Iran. Sweden negotiated his 2024 release in exchange for detained Swedish citizens.

Overall relationship

-40

The relationship has been shaped by serious consular and legal disputes, including Iran’s detention of Swedish citizens and Sweden’s prosecution of Hamid Nouri. The 2024 exchange demonstrated continued diplomatic engagement, but did not remove the underlying sources of tension.

How to read these scores

Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.

−100
Extreme sustained hostility
−50
Substantially adversarial
0
Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
+50
Substantially cooperative
+100
Exceptionally close sustained partnership

“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.

Relationship context

Knowledge coverageLimited

Overview

Relations have been strained by Iran’s detention of Swedish citizens and Sweden’s prosecution of former Iranian official Hamid Nouri. A 2024 prisoner exchange secured the release of two Swedish citizens in return for Nouri, showing that diplomatic channels remained usable amid serious disputes.

Areas of tension

Key developments

Major uncertainties

Choose another pair