Iran's chargé d’affaires in Vienna, Gholamreza Derikvand, has left his post and is seeking asylum for himself and his family in Switzerland, Iran International reported on Tuesday afternoon, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has not commented on Derikvand's actions, according to the outlet, and has "avoided discussing the case or claiming ignorance due to fear of intelligence agencies."
Because of Derikvand's career, colleagues of the diplomat told Iran Internationalthat they believed he could have been promoted to ambassador had he remained in his position.
Derikvand previously served as chargé d'affaires at Iran's embassy in the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2014, according to Iran International.
Second Iranian diplomat to seek Swiss asylum
In mid-January, Iran Internationalreported that Alireza Jeyrani Hokmabad, a senior Iranian official at Iran’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva, had also abandoned his post to seek asylum in Switzerland.
Jeyrani Hokmabad had, until recently, held the rank of counsellor and served as minister plenipotentiary, effectively the deputy head of Iran’s mission to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, according to Iran International.
Like Derikvand, Jeyrani Hokmabad also sought asylum for his family after leaving his position, fearing danger upon returning to Iran due to the current political and social situation.
Lara Sukster Mosheyof contributed to this report.