Protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in the early hours of Thursday morning and set it on fire in protest against a planned burning of the Quran in Sweden, Reuters reported, citing sources.

The Swedish foreign ministry said staff at its embassy in Baghdad are safe after the embassy was stormed and set alight, and that Iraqi authorities have the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and staff.

The Iraqi government strongly condemned the burning of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, and has instructed security forces to conduct a swift probe into the incident, hold accountable perpetrators, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, the Swedish authorities had approved an assembly to be held later Thursday outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, where organizers plan to burn a copy of the Quran as well as an Iraqi flag.

(With input from agencies)