Iranian Diplomat Abducted In Baghdad

Tehran Blames U.S. For Abduction, Holds America Responsible For His Life

(CBS/AP)  Gunmen wearing Iraqi Army uniforms seized an Iranian diplomat as he drove through central Baghdad, officials said Tuesday.

One Iraqi government official said the diplomat was detained Sunday by a special Iraqi Army unit that reports directly to the U.S. military. 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.

Iran condemned the abduction of its diplomat. When state-run Iranian television reported that Jalal Sharafi had been kidnapped, it blamed the U.S., reports CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan.

"While the details of the kidnapping of Jalal Sharafi are not clear, the context is important, and that is an escalating confrontation between the U.S. and Iran regarding both its involvement in Iraq and its increasingly defiant nuclear program," said CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk, "and, despite conflicting information about the abduction, Iran is holding the U.S. responsible and that puts Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in a difficult position since the abduction took place in Baghdad."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said that gunmen had seized Sharafi, the second secretary at the Iranian Embassy, as he drove through central Baghdad on Sunday.

An official with the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, who spoke 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 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.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

The U.S. Embassy spokesman also 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.

The incident comes as tensions have been rising between Iran and the United States.

The Shiite-led Iraqi government has shown increasing impatience with both sides for letting the tensions spill over the border after the U.S. detained five Iranians in northern Iraq and accused them of having links to an Iranian military faction blamed for funding and arming Iraqi militants.

Two diplomats also were detained in a Dec. 21 roundup of a group of 10 suspects. The diplomats were interrogated and released to Iranian officials eight days later.

The White House also has authorized U.S. troops in Iraq to kill or capture Iranian agents deemed to be a threat, saying evidence was mounting that Iran is supporting terrorists inside Iraq and is a major supplier of bombs and other weapons used to target U.S. forces. Tehran has denied the charges.

The United States and Iran have regarded each other with distrust and suspicion since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by militant students. Most recently, tensions have flared over U.S.-led efforts to isolate Iran and force it to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program.

[hsmagst]

Oh gee...an Iranian diplomat might have gotten kidnapped? I wonder how that could have happened. Maybe its just karma, seeing as how Iran chose to invade the US embassy in Iran and hold 52 members of the American delegation hostage for over 400 days......sounds to me as though another 51 need to be taken and abused before they have any right to open their hypocritical mouths.

lars008 wrote:

"funny how many fascist nazi islamic muslims are pretending to be american liberals........"

Settle down singingrick.

Anyway, "fascist nazi islamic muslims" are the same as "fascist nazi pretend christian republicans" - the same ones who claim they are religious but who follow their own rules.

Morons - the lot of them.

[book54552134]

Is this one of those many incidents whereby we will be informed next week or next month or perhaps, next year, that the event did indeed occur at the direction of the DOD as initially suspected?

[lars008-2009]

funny how many fascist nazi islamic muslims are pretending to be american liberals........

[grazinggoat]

lars008 and singinrick are the same sh*t. What religion are you lars-bigot-008? Do you believe in God?

Since you are soooo convinced of eradicating all Muslim radicals, why are you not in Iraq? Is it only muslim radicals? Would you consider all Christian Radicals (declared and undeclared), why not include Radical Jews?

How do you define radical? Who is radical? in what way?

For sure you are high-tripping, that only a sick man or stupid irresponsible and immature one who can pretend to this without, when looking into a mirror, seeing a monster.

For majority of people on Earth when they read such words coming form you, it's quite worrying, troubling to see it's coming from the most advanced country in the world.

[lars008-2009]

it's not a game for the fascist nazi islamic muslims.... and the majority of the people on the earth know it.....

'Obsession'
Documentary gives insight into radical Islam%u2019s global threat
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/launchPage.html?110506/110506_fnl_obsession&%27Obsession%27&FNL&Documentary%20gives%20insight%20into%20radical%20Islam%92s%20global%20threat&Foxlife&-1&%27Obsession%27&Video%20Launch%20Page&News
http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/12min.htm
http://myspace.com/waragainstthewest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BL4-mxE87w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUpcpEQtgp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BUqXSeCDJc
UK TV AIRS SHOCK 'UNDERCOVER' LOOK INTO MAINSTREAM BRIT MOSQUES...
Dispatches: Undercover Mosque
This is part one of the much-anticipated UK Channel 4 documentary Dispatches: Undercover Mosque, exposing evidence of Islamic supremacism, shocking misogyny, and support for violence at a number of Britain%u2019s leading mosques and Muslim institutions. (Thanks again to LGF operative kasper.)
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24018_Dispatches-_Undercover_Mosque&only

[grazinggoat]

lars008 and singinrick are the same sh*t. What religion are you lars-bigot-008? Do you believe in God?

Since you are soooo convinced of eradicating all Muslim radicals, why are you not in Iraq? Is it only muslim radicals? Would you consider all Christian Radicals (declared and undeclared), why not include Radical Jews?

How do you define radical? Who is radical? in what way?

For sure you are high-tripping, that only a sick man or stupid irresponsible and immature one who can pretend to this without, when looking into a mirror, seeing a monster.

For majority of people on Earth when they read such words coming form you, it's quite worrying, troubling to see it's coming from the most advanced country in the world.

[lars008-2009]

EXACTLY

Ali Sina, an ex-Muslim from Iran. He is the creator of Faithfreedom.org.
Yet I know that by eradicating Islam we can save the world from the dangers of a catastrophe that otherwise is looming over our heads and could cause more disaster than the 1st and 2nd World Wars combined. Eradication of Islam means restoring peace among humanity and civility, democracy and prosperity in the Muslim world.
http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/sina/why_i_left_islam.htm

[t_barr]

Then there's the 'News' media...

"But there was a more shocking exchange that took place that ought to have caused more of a stir amongst professional journalists and all freedom loving people. It was an exchange that revealed something that most conscious beings knew, but which I have never seen explicitly articulated.

Murdoch was asked if News Corp had managed to shape the agenda on the war in Iraq. His answer?

"No, I don't think so. We tried." Asked by Rose for further comment, he said: "We basically supported the Bush policy in the Middle East%u2026but we have been very critical of his execution."

Let me repeat this: "We Tried!"

Setting aside the nonsense that they had ever been critical of Bush's adventures in Baghdad, having confessed to being deliberately deceitful raises some questions. For instance, how can anyone ever again take seriously Fox News or any of Murdoch's other instruments of bias? How can News Corp continue to pretend that they are "fair and balanced?" How can any other media company exhibit the slightest expression of respect or patronization?"

http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/index.php?p=341

Oh, and guess who's one of Hillary's contributors....

[skyk-2009]

When you have the worlds most incompetent and dishonest leader in a situation like this you whoop the boy. Sir Lies-A-Lot has gotten himself in the Middle of a Civil War and in a situation where his enemy can pretty much abuse the wimp as they want. Disgusting but true. As increditably Incompetent as Sir Lies-A-Lot is and as little creditability as he has, he's without a doubt going to get a REAL good thrashing. The sad part is that our military is going to bear the burden of this blunder. No matter how strong your military may be they are NOT super human and can not overcome stupidity of this kind.