A senior Swiss diplomat died under mysterious circumstances in Tehran, reports said. The unnamed official was found dead on Tuesday after apparently falling from a high-rise building in the Iranian capital.
The unnamed woman, 52, was the first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran. A spokesman for Iranian emergency services said her body was found by a gardener working at the premises.
The Swiss foreign ministry (FDFA) confirmed the death. "The FDFA and its head Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis are shocked by the tragic death and express their deepest condolences to the family," the mission said.
'Suicide Ruled Out'
According to BBC, the Iranian foreign ministry said the death of the diplomat was under investigation. Iran's official Irna news agency said suicide had already been ruled out by Iranian officials.
"This person was the first secretary of the Swiss embassy ...The cause of her fall has yet to be determined," Iranian emergency services spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi told Mehr news agency. He said an employee who arrived at the deceased official's home noticed she was missing and found the dead body on search.
Meanwhile, Swiss officials reportedly said the death was caused by accident.
The Iranian officials gave no further information on the circumstances of the death of the Swiss official.
Switzerland's Tehran mission has a critical role in Iran's international relations. The US, which has adversarial relations with Tehran ever since the Islamic revolution in 1979 and has no diplomatic mission in the Iranian capital. It is the Swiss embassy in Tehran that represents the diplomatic interests of the US in the middle eastern country.
