Iran war increases threat to Sweden, security service says

Sweden's Security Service (SAPO) warned on Wednesday of increased threats to the Nordic nation from the war in Iran, including risks to Jewish targets, as it released its annual national security assessment.

"History has shown that a desperate and pressured regime can be a dangerous regime," SAPO operative chief Fredrik Hallstrom told a press conference, referring to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Iran has long been considered a serious threat, and Swedish authorities have noted how criminal networks - already at the centre of a decade-long surge in gang-related violence - have been exploited by state actors to carry out attacks.

"The U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran, and the countermeasures carried out by Iran, have increased the threat against American, Israeli and Jewish targets in Sweden," Security Service Chief Charlotte von Essen said in the report.

In recent years, the agency has also highlighted threats from China and, above all, Russia, which it describes as increasingly willing to take risks in support of its war in Ukraine — including through hybrid operations across Europe.

"Overall we expect that the threat levels against Sweden will continue to deteriorate in the coming years," von Essen said, adding that Russia was regarded as a primary driver.

While it is difficult to determine what can be linked to a particular actor, Sweden assesses that Russia is behind several sabotage incidents in Europe targeting critical infrastructure, the security service said. Moscow has denied any involvement.

The agency said it has reviewed hundreds of cases of suspected sabotage in Sweden, including of underwater cables, electricity substations and water-treatment facilities.

"It has so far not been possible to link any physical sabotage to a foreign power," it said.