Raisi: Sweden’s Mere Condemnation Not Enough

Date: 23 July 2023 - 22:00

News ID: ۱۱۷۵۶۱

TEHRAN -- President Ebrahim Raisi has strongly slammed the Swedish government’s approach to the desecration of the Holy Qur’an on its soil, saying Stockholm’s mere condemnation of the sacrilegious act is far from enough.

“Issuing a statement to condemn the insult against the Holy Qur’an by the Swedish government is by no means sufficient and this government must bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice,” the president said.

Noting that the tenures of the current Iranian and Swedish ambassadors have come to an end, the president said he has ordered the foreign ministry not to go ahead with the exchange of new ambassadors between the two countries.

Raisi also referred to remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who called for the “severest punishment” for the perpetrator of the desecration of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden.

Ayatollah Khamenei warned the Swedish government that by supporting a criminal, it has attracted the hatred and enmity of the Muslim nations and many of their governments.

“As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out, this incident is a conspiratorial and dangerous development and the support of the Swedish government for this criminal act is equivalent to taking battle array against the Muslim world,” the president said.

Iran has also written a letter to Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, urging the world body to take a hard line on such acts of sacrilege and require its member states to prevent their repetition.

Also on Saturday, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Muslims will soon take revenge on all those involved in and responsible for the acts of sacrilege against the Holy Qur’an.

“We will not allow those who insult the Qur’an to be secure,” Major General Hussein Salami said.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan strongly condemned the recent blasphemous acts against the Holy Qur’an in Sweden and Denmark.

In a phone conversation, Amir-Abdollahian hailed Turkey’s stance in condemnation of the

desecration of Islam’s holiest book and proposed that Muslim countries hold an extraordinary session as soon as possible.

Pointing to “brotherly and strategic” relation between Iran and Turkey, Amir-Abdollahian invited his Turkish counterpart to pay a visit to Tehran.

The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran is ready to host a session of a joint economic committee.

Fidan, for his part, welcomed his Iranian counterpart’s proposal about an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) foreign ministers to discuss the acts of sacrilege against the Holy Qur’an.

The Turkish foreign minister said he would travel to Tehran in the near future.

The top Iranian and Turkish diplomats also exchanged views about leading regional and international issues.