Iranian-Swedish researcher will be executed - Iran's judiciary

The death sentence of Swedish-Iranian national Ahmadreza Djalali is on the agenda and will be carried out, Iran's judiciary spokesperson Zabihollah Khodaian said. 

"Djalali has been sentenced to death on several charges and the verdict is final. The sentence will be carried out," the spokesperson said, without saying when it would take place.

Last week, Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported that Djalali was sentenced to death on charges of spying for Israel and he would be executed by May 21. He was arrested in 2016. 

Sweden-Iran relations tensed 

Relations between Sweden and Iran have been tense since Sweden detained and put on trial former Iranian official Hamid Noury on charges of war crimes for the mass execution and torture of political prisoners at an Iranian prison in the 1980s.

Noury's trial, condemned by Iran, ended on Wednesday; the verdict is due in July. He could face a life sentence in Sweden.

No swap 

A Swedish man has been detained in Iran, the Swedish foreign ministry said on Friday, just days after it advised against unnecessary travel to Iran, citing a deteriorating security situation.

According to Swedish daily Aftonbladet, citing unnamed sources, the man is a tourist travelling with other Swedes and was detained after a few days vacation.

"These two issues are not related. Mr. Noury is innocent and Mr. Djalali was arrested two years prior to Mr. Noury's case. There is thus no possibility of an exchange of these two individuals," Khodaian said, adding that Noury's case was "politically motivated."