Over the weekend, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven led a Swedish delegation to Iran. Lofven was received warmly by the Islamic Republic's political elite - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted positively about his meeting with Lofven, adding that Sweden had a "good reputation" in his country - and the two countries agreed upon a number of trade-related deals.

Back home, however, coverage of the Swedish government delegation to Tehran has focused on something else. As Sweden's media noted Monday, a number of female officials who had joined the trip, including Trade Minister Ann Linde, had chosen to wear Islamic headscarves while in Iran.

Sweden's feminist trade minister Ann Linde dons the hijab and wears a black cloak like her Iranian counterpart. Credit:UN Watch

According to Expressen newspaper, there were 11 women on the trip out of 15 total in the Swedish delegation. The women were photographed wearing headscarves "almost all of the time" they were in Iran, with the exception of a number of events which took place at the Swedish Embassy.

By law, women are required to cover their hair and wear loosefitting clothes when they appear in public in Iran, a country governed by a conservative Islamic elite. Many choose to wear loose-fitting hijabs.