STOCKHOLM:

Iran is planning to execute an Iranian-Swedish researcher imprisoned since 2016, Iranian media reported Wednesday, as major court cases further strain tense relations between the two countries.

The report by the semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted informed Iranian officials as saying that Iran will implement the death penalty against Ahmad Reza Jalali by May 21 at the latest.

Jalali is a Swedish-Iranian physician who specializes in disaster relief and has taught at European universities. Rights groups have condemned his detention, saying it follows a pattern of Iran detaining dual nationals and expatriates indefinitely without due process.