By Country / Iran
Iranian Diplomats Briefly Detained In Iraq
June 16, 2007
June 16, 2007 - The U.S. military said today that the Iraqi Army briefly detained three Iranian diplomats.
A U.S. military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver, said the three Iranians were among a group of 10 people stopped for driving east Baghdad on June 14 during a curfew.
Garver said Iraqi officials released the Iranians to their embassy representatives after verifying their identities as diplomats.
In Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said the detentions violated international law and that the diplomats were questioned for hours.
U.S.-Iranian tensions remain high over the arrest of five Iranians in Irbil in January.
(Reuters)