Iran accuses US over seized diplomat

The kidnapping of an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad by Iraqi security forces has ignited new tensions between Iran and Washington, as the Iranian government said it was holding the US directly responsible for his release and safe return. Jalal Sharafi, the second secretary at the Iranian embassy, was seized on Feb. 4 by forces operating "under the supervision of the American forces in Iraq," an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns this aggressive act, which is in violation of international law," the spokesman was quoted as saying. "Iran holds American forces in Iraq responsible for the safety and life of the Iranian diplomat." An official at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad said Sharafi had been traveling to check on the planned opening of an Iranian bank in the central Karradah area of Baghdad when he was seized by men wearing Iraqi army uniforms. An Iraqi government official said Iraqi soldiers in two vehicles intercepted the diplomat's car, put him in one of their vehicles and drove off. Iraqi police, apparently suspecting a kidnap attempt, opened fire on the second vehicle and detained the occupants, who were released into Iraqi military custody on Feb. 5. According to the Iraqi official, the detained troops were part of an army unit that receives direct orders from the US military. "Those detained are [Iraqi] military officers," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said. Iraq and Iran are working closely to resolve the kidnapping, an official at Iran's embassy said. A US embassy spokesman in Baghdad 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," he added. Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver, a US military spokesman denied that any of the country's troops, or Iraqis reporting to them, had been involved and said he could not even confirm that the incident had taken place. "We've checked with our units and it was not an MNF-I [Multi-National Forces–Iraq] unit that participated in that event," Garver said. His version of events was directly contradicted by that of Iraqi and Iranian officials. The incident threatens to further escalate tensions between the US and Iran. Washington accuses Tehran of providing significant support to Shia militants fighting US forces in Iraq–an accusation it vehemently denies. Last month, US forces detained five Iranians in northern Iraq, accusing them of having links to an Iranian military faction blamed for funding and arming Iraqi militants. Iran insisted they were diplomats and should be released. The White House has also authorized US troops in Iraq to kill or capture Iranian agents deemed to be a threat.