The Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has called on Sweden to “hand over” the people who burned the Quran in Stockholm to “Islamic countries”.
In a message on Saturday, the Iranian leader said that burning the Quran had been “a bitter, conspiratorial and dangerous incident”.
Last month, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden, burned pages of the Quran in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque, igniting outrage in the Muslim world.
On Thursday, the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was set on fire by angry protesters. Iraq has expelled the Swedish ambassador.
However, the Swedish government has condemned the burning of the Quran as “an offensive and disrespectful act and a clear provocation”.
Swedish police had rejected applications for the burning of the Quran, which were overruled by the court on the grounds of free speech.
The Iranian leader said in his message: “The Swedish government should also know that by supporting a criminal, it has taken a war stance against the Islamic world and attracted the hatred and enmity of the Muslim nations and many of their governments.”
Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also on Saturday warned that those who insulted the Quran will not be safe. “Sooner of later, they will face the vengeance of faithful warriors.” He said.
The Taliban in Afghanistan also suspended the activities of Swedish linked entities who were mainly engaged in humanitarian aid deliveries.
