Swiss Embassy official found dead in Iran

A senior Swiss diplomat in Iran was found dead on Tuesday after falling from a high-rise residential building.

According to Reuters, local Iranian media first reported the death, citing emergency services.

Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) confirmed the death of an embassy employee in Iran, the new outlet reported.

“The FDFA and its head Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis are shocked by the tragic death and express their deepest condolences to the family,” the ministry said.

The name of the employee has not been confirmed. Her age has been reported as either 51 or 52.

Mojtaba Khaledi, a spokesperson for Iranian emergency services, said the diplomat’s body was found by a gardener after an employee arrived at her apartment and noted her absence.

“This person was the first secretary of the Swiss embassy,” Khaledi the Fars News Agency. “The cause of her fall has yet to be determined.”

As Reuters notes, Switzerland has represented the United States’ interests in Iran ever since Washington cut off ties with Iran shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.