The US State Department has condemned the detention of a Swedish-Iranian doctor by the Islamic Republic and a threat to execute him, calling for his release.

In response to a query by Iran International, a State Department spokesperson said, “We’re aware of the egregious case of arbitrary detention of Swedish-Iranian doctor Ahmadreza Djalali by Iranian authorities.We echo concerns from UN experts that Djalali’s case is ‘truly horrific,’ and urge his release.”

Djalali was arrested while visiting Iran on an invitation by a university in 2016 and consequently sentenced to death on unsubstantiated charges of espionage for Israel. Recently Iran threatened to carry out his execution in an apparent attempt to intimidate Sweden from convicting a former Iranian official on trial for his role in killing of thousands of political prisoners in 1988.

“Iran has a long history of unjust imprisonment of foreign nationals for use as political leverage, and continues to engage in a range of human rights abuses, which include large-scale arbitrary or unlawful detention of individuals, some of whom have faced torture and execution after unfair trials.These practices are outrageous,” The US spokesperson added.

News emerged this week that Iran has detained a Swedish tourist, in another apparent attempt to take a hostage as a bargaining chip. The state department said, “Regarding the most recent arrest, we refer you to the Swedish government.”