IRANIAN DIPLOMAT DETAINED IN BAGHDAD

IRAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CONFIRMS IRANIAN DIPLOMAT KIDNAPPED IN BAGHDAD - IRAN STUDENTS NEWS AGENCY.
Gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms are reported to have detained and taken away a senior Iranian diplomat in Baghdad. An Iraqi government official quoted by Reuters news agency has said the abduction took place in the central Karrada district of the city on Sunday. He says the gunmen were wearing uniforms of a special operations unit that often works with the US military. The diplomat is said to be the second secretary at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.



WANTED ....DEAD OR ALIVE...IN BAGHDAD.....

An official with the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information, said the diplomat was heading to check on the planned opening of an Iranian bank Sunday in the central Karradah neighborhood when he was seized by men wearing Iraqi army uniforms.

The Iraqi government official said Iraqi soldiers in two vehicles intercepted a car carrying the diplomat at 6 p.m. Sunday in the predominantly Shiite area, then placed him in one of their vehicles that sped away. Iraqi police, apparently suspecting that a kidnapping was taking place, opened fire on the second vehicle and detained the occupants, according to the official. He added that the men who had been detained were released Monday into the custody of members of the unit, who showed official badges and said they need to transfer the suspects to another police station.
The Iraqi troops were part of an army unit that receives direct orders from the U.S. military, the official said, declining to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information. Two other Iraqi officials said earlier that the diplomat was kidnapped by gunmen in Karradah, which has been hit by several recently bombings, and they expected negotiations to start to secure his release.

REACTION FROM TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad was seized on Sunday and said it held U.S. forces responsible for his safety, An Iraqi official had earlier said the diplomat was seized by gunmen who were wearing uniforms of the Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion, a special operations unit that often works with U.S. military forces in Iraq. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Jalal Sharafi, second secretary the embassy in the Baghdad, was seized by a group related to Iraq's Defense Ministry "which works under the supervision of American forces,". He was kidnapped outside a branch of Iran's Bank Melli in the Iraqi capital, he said. "Based on reliable information, the group which has committed this completely terrorist act, are active under the supervision of the American forces and some of them have been arrested. There is a record of their previous acts," Hosseini said. It was not immediately clear if those Hosseini said were arrested were seized in relation to the latest incident or other incidents. "The Islamic Republic of Iran holds the American forces in Iraq responsible for the life and safety of the Iranian diplomat and condemns this action strongly and wants the quick release of the Iranian diplomat," Hosseini said.
REACTION FROM THE AMERICAN MILATARY IN IRAQ : The U.S. Embassy spokesman said he could not confirm the reports. "There appear to be conflicting accounts of this alleged incident and we are in the process of trying to determine the facts," the spokesman, Lou Fintor, said. But a military spokesman denied any U.S. troops or Iraqis that report to them were involved. "We've checked with our units and it was not an MNF-I (Multi-National Forces — Iraq) unit that participated in that event," military spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said, adding he could not confirm the diplomat was seized.

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Tehran - Iran on Tuesday summoned the ambassadors of Iraq and Switzerland to the foreign ministry and protested against the `kidnapping` of an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad, the news network Khabar reported. The foreign ministry demanded the immediate release of the diplomat and held both states responsible for his safety. As the US has no diplomatic relations with Iran, Switzerland is representing American interests in the Islamic Republic. Iran had earlier Tuesday harshly condemned the kidnapping of an Iranian diplomat as a 'terrorist act,' the state news agency IRNA reported. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini confirmed that the second secretary of the Iranian embassy, Jalal Sharafi was kidnapped on Sunday by what the spokesman described as 'elements related to the Iraqi defence ministry who are known to be under US control.' Hosseini added, 'The Americans have violated all international and diplomatic norms by launching such operations which will in general have negative impacts on diplomatic norms around the world.' The spokesman called on the Iraqi government and US forces in Iraq to enable the immediate release of the Iranian diplomat.