Wednesday, August 29, 2007
U.S. troops release Iranians held in Iraq
Region
(The Guardian) - US troops today released a group of Iranians to Iraqi officials after detaining them at a central Baghdad hotel overnight. "They were detained yesterday by American forces and were released this morning," Yasin Majid, a media adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, told Reuters.
American troops raided Baghdad's Sheraton Ishtar hotel and took away a group of about 10 people late yesterday. The seven Iranians included an embassy official and six members of a delegation from Iran's electricity ministry. Videotape shot last night by Associated Press Television News showed US troops leading about 10 blindfolded and handcuffed men out of the hotel. Other soldiers carried out what appeared to be luggage and at least one briefcase and a laptop computer bag.
The latest incident between the US and Iran came as the US president, George Bush, made a tough speech against Iran. In an address to the American Legion convention in Reno, Nevada, Mr Bush said: "I have authorised our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran's murderous activities." Relations between the US and Iran are already strained by the detention of each other's citizens, as well as US accusations of Iranian involvement in Iraq's violence and alleged Iranian efforts to develop nuclear bombs.
The US is still holding five Iranians who were seized in January. American officials say the five include the operations chief and other members of Iran's elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. For its part, Iran is holding several Iranian-Americans on spying charges, although it freed an American-Iranian academic last week.
American troops raided Baghdad's Sheraton Ishtar hotel and took away a group of about 10 people late yesterday. The seven Iranians included an embassy official and six members of a delegation from Iran's electricity ministry. Videotape shot last night by Associated Press Television News showed US troops leading about 10 blindfolded and handcuffed men out of the hotel. Other soldiers carried out what appeared to be luggage and at least one briefcase and a laptop computer bag.
The latest incident between the US and Iran came as the US president, George Bush, made a tough speech against Iran. In an address to the American Legion convention in Reno, Nevada, Mr Bush said: "I have authorised our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran's murderous activities." Relations between the US and Iran are already strained by the detention of each other's citizens, as well as US accusations of Iranian involvement in Iraq's violence and alleged Iranian efforts to develop nuclear bombs.
The US is still holding five Iranians who were seized in January. American officials say the five include the operations chief and other members of Iran's elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. For its part, Iran is holding several Iranian-Americans on spying charges, although it freed an American-Iranian academic last week.
Labels: George Bush, Iranian detainees, Quds Force, Sheraton Ishtar hotel, U.S. troops, Yasin Majid
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Iranian, U.S. officials meet for security talks on Iraq
International
(RFE/RL) - U.S. and Iranian officials met in Baghdad on July 24 for a second round of talks aimed at supporting the Iraqi government, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reported. The meeting, hosted by the Iraqi government, was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart, Hasan Kazemi-Qomi.
Iraqi state-television channel Al-Iraqiyah cited Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's address to the two sides at the start of the talks. Al-Maliki reportedly told both sides Iraq is keen on good relations with all parties. He added that Iraq does not want to interfere in the affairs of others, just as it does not want others to interfere in Iraq's internal affairs.
Meanwhile, an Iraqi source attending the meeting told AP that an argument broke out early on between Crocker and Qomi after the U.S. ambassador claimed Iran is training and supplying Shi'ite militiamen to target coalition forces. Qomi reportedly responded by saying the United States has no proof to back up the claim. Iranian sources have said the status of five Iranian diplomats detained by U.S. forces in Iraq since January will also be high on the meeting's agenda.
Labels: Hasan Kazemi Qomi, Iran, Iranian detainees, Ryan Crocker, Shia militias, U.S.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Iran-U.S. Iraq security talks confirmed
International
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says Iran and the United States will hold a second round of talks on Iraq's security on July 24. Zebari said the ambassadors to Iraq from both countries will lead the talks in Baghdad. The meeting was confirmed today by Iran.
The two envoys, Ryan Crocker and Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, had a first round of talks in May, the highest-level meeting since 1980, when the United States and Tehran severed diplomatic relations after Iranian revolutionaries seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, keeping its diplomatic staff hostage for 444 days.The United States has long shunned direct contact with Iran, which it accuses of sponsoring terrorism and seeking to secretly develop nuclear weapons. But in the face of major problems in Iraq, Washington is searching for ways to stabilize the country, where Tehran has emerged as a major player since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
At the same time, Iran has called for the release of five Iranians detained in Iraq, whom the United States has said are the operations chief and other members of Irans elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. Iran says the five are diplomats in Iraq with permission of the government.
Labels: Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Hoshyar Zibari, Iran, Iranian detainees, Ryan Crocker, U.S
Monday, July 09, 2007
Iran's ambassador meets detainees in Iraq
Region
(RFE/RL article) - Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali-Hosseini confirmed today that the Iranian ambassador to Iraq met with five Iranians currently under detention in Baghdad. Hosseini said the ambassador spent five hours with the detained Iranians who all said they were innocent of any wrong doing and demanded to be released. The Iranian government today urged Iraq to release the detainees. The five Iranians were taken into custody by U.S. military forces in Iraq in January on suspicion the Iranians were helping Iraqi insurgents.
Labels: Iranian detainees, Mohammad Ali-Hosseini
Monday, July 02, 2007
Zebari presses for second round of Iran-U.S., talks while Iranians are granted access to detainees
Politics, Region
(Al Jazeera) - Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said he was pressing the US and Iran to hold a second round of talks in Baghdad to follow up a landmark meeting in May, but that no date has been set. Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, and Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, his Iranian counterpart, met in Baghdad on May 28 to discuss security in Iraq in what was the most high-profile meeting of the two arch enemies in almost three decades.
Both envoys described the talks as positive. Iraq has invited both sides to meet again but neither have publicly said they would accept. Zebari said: "We felt that there is a common interest in pursuing these talks, in having a second meeting, but no date has been agreed yet. "We are working on that. There would be a second round, I hope so."
Zebari also said on Sunday that the US embassy in Baghdad had agreed to give Iran consular access to five Iranians who were detained by US forces in northern Iraq in January. The US military says the five are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and are backing fighters in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has been requesting access to them.
Zebari said he hoped the consular visit to the detainees, who were taken seized in the Kurdish city of Arbil, would help ease tensions. There was no date for the visit, but it could happen any time, he said. The foreign minister said he understood a US military board would not review the case of the five men until October.
Both envoys described the talks as positive. Iraq has invited both sides to meet again but neither have publicly said they would accept. Zebari said: "We felt that there is a common interest in pursuing these talks, in having a second meeting, but no date has been agreed yet. "We are working on that. There would be a second round, I hope so."
Zebari also said on Sunday that the US embassy in Baghdad had agreed to give Iran consular access to five Iranians who were detained by US forces in northern Iraq in January. The US military says the five are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and are backing fighters in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has been requesting access to them.
Zebari said he hoped the consular visit to the detainees, who were taken seized in the Kurdish city of Arbil, would help ease tensions. There was no date for the visit, but it could happen any time, he said. The foreign minister said he understood a US military board would not review the case of the five men until October.
Labels: consular access, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Hoshiyar Zebari, Iran, Iranian detainees, Ryan Crocker, U.S.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Abducted Brits - the word on the street in Baghdad
Security
(Unconfirmed) In Iraq, rumors travel through the streets quickly and are accepted by many, educated and uneducated alike, to be the absolute truth. In fact, during Saddam’s reign, he had a department in his intelligence service dedicated to spreading various rumors throughout Iraqi society. The word on the street should not be ignored as simple hearsay, even though much of it is obviously false. It helps shape Iraqi opinions and perceptions. The following information on the abducted Britons was collected.
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1. The five Brits who were kidnapped this week were separated after the initial kidnapping and were moved to Kut within three hours of the kidnapping.
2. On Thursday, there were several new checkpoints setup in eastern Baghdad which were established to find the five kidnapped Brits.
3. The Palestine Street area is under the control of Badr due to its proximity to the MOI. Based on the involvement of MOI Commandos and the fact that the five Brits were taken from a Finance Ministry facility, most Iraqis are sure that the five Brits were kidnapped by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh who wants to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians detained by the US in Irbil. Solagh wants to replace Al Hakim as Iran’s influence broker in Iraq.
Who Kidnapped The Five British Citizens?
The entire group, Sunni and Shiite, agreed that most likely this act was carried out by MOI elements by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh, who may or may not have been responding to instructions from Iran. The group believes that the reason for the kidnapping is to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians who are being detained by the US after they were captured in Irbil.
The group stated that they believe the above because the area where this crime occurred is known to be heavily controlled by Badr Corps and the kidnapping occurred at a facility under Solagh’s control. He is also believed to have created the MOI Commandos to be an arm of Badr during his tenure as the Interior Minister.
The entire group also agreed that Mahdi Army could NOT have carried out this kidnapping because of the area where it occurred.
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1. The five Brits who were kidnapped this week were separated after the initial kidnapping and were moved to Kut within three hours of the kidnapping.
2. On Thursday, there were several new checkpoints setup in eastern Baghdad which were established to find the five kidnapped Brits.
3. The Palestine Street area is under the control of Badr due to its proximity to the MOI. Based on the involvement of MOI Commandos and the fact that the five Brits were taken from a Finance Ministry facility, most Iraqis are sure that the five Brits were kidnapped by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh who wants to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians detained by the US in Irbil. Solagh wants to replace Al Hakim as Iran’s influence broker in Iraq.
Who Kidnapped The Five British Citizens?
The entire group, Sunni and Shiite, agreed that most likely this act was carried out by MOI elements by the order of Bayan Jabr Solagh, who may or may not have been responding to instructions from Iran. The group believes that the reason for the kidnapping is to trade the five Brits for the five Iranians who are being detained by the US after they were captured in Irbil.
The group stated that they believe the above because the area where this crime occurred is known to be heavily controlled by Badr Corps and the kidnapping occurred at a facility under Solagh’s control. He is also believed to have created the MOI Commandos to be an arm of Badr during his tenure as the Interior Minister.
The entire group also agreed that Mahdi Army could NOT have carried out this kidnapping because of the area where it occurred.
Labels: Badr Corps, Bayan Jabr Solagh, Iranian detainees, kidnapped Brits, Mahdi Army, Ministry of Interior
Friday, June 01, 2007
U.K. may approach Iran for help to find British hostages
Security
(The Guardian) - Britain is considering a direct approach to Iran for help in discovering the whereabouts of four British security guards and a financial consultant abducted in Iraq and who was responsible for seizing them. The issue was raised yesterday at a meeting of Cobra, Whitehall's emergency committee, the Guardian has learned.
Senior Iraqi officials said they were working on the theory that the gang behind the kidnapping was a rogue faction of the Mahdi army of the radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, possibly operating under the influence of Iranian intelligence. "We do not think that Sadr ordered this operation, but we are almost certain that some militia members who profess loyalty to him were involved," said a senior foreign ministry official.
He said that "the lack of organisation and discipline" within the Mahdi army's ranks had allowed the Iranians to move in and bring some of Sadr's fighters under their control. "They [the Iranians] want to show the US that they have influence over the Mahdi army, and that the US must come to them for help," he said.
Well-placed British officials pointed out yesterday that the Mahdi army was now made of different groups, not all of which are under Mr Sadr's control. Secret rogue cells in the militia are known to have links with Iran's revolutionary guards, though well-placed British officials also said these could operate without Iranian help.
The SAS, which is represented on the Cobra committee, is ready to intervene immediately if intelligence emerges on the whereabouts of the five Britons. An SAS team is on standby in Baghdad, prepared for such a crisis, and an MI5 intelligence officer has flown to the capital.
In Baghdad yesterday, US Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles, backed up by helicopters, took up positions around the Shia stronghold of Sadr City as US soldiers and Iraqi commandos pushed deeper into the district on the second day of operations aimed at finding the hostages.
The US military said they had arrested two members of a "secret cell terrorist network", but it was unclear whether they were connected to the abduction. Another raid targeted the home of a Shia cleric, Abdul-Zahra al-Suwaidi, who runs Mr Sadr's headquarters in Sadr City. The four security guards working for a Canadian-based firm, GardaWorld, and an expert from a US management consultancy firm, BearingPoint, were abducted from the finance ministry building in the capital by up to 40 men, some dressed in police uniforms, on Tuesday and driven towards Sadr City.
A spokesman for Mr Sadr denied that the kidnapping was officially sanctioned. "We are an obvious target. To do such a provocative act as this kidnapping would be counterproductive," said Salah al-Obeidi. "We are committed to the political path and it is working well for us."
Mr Sadr, who presents himself as an Iraqi nationalist, made his first public appearance in the country for four months last week, calling for American troops to leave and criticising the meeting between the Iranian and US ambassadors as an interference in Iraq's affairs.
His move was seen in part as an attempt to rally his movement, amid reports of splits. "In many ways the US has a common interest with Muqtada," said Patrick Clawson, deputy director of research at the conservative Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. He said Iran was working with a series of Mahdi army commanders and in many cases they were people Muqtada had kicked out of his movement. "The Iranians have never felt comfortable with a powerful Iraqi figure like Muqtada, who they don't completely control."
Mr Obeidi dismissed speculation that the abduction was connected to the killing of a senior Mahdi army official in Basra last week. "This was a well organised operation that would have taken some time to prepare," he said. British officials agreed. However, an Iraqi security official said the authorities were also considering the possibility that the abduction might be linked to the seizure of five Iranian officials by US forces in a raid in Irbil. Tehran has been pressing for the men's release.
Senior Iraqi officials said they were working on the theory that the gang behind the kidnapping was a rogue faction of the Mahdi army of the radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, possibly operating under the influence of Iranian intelligence. "We do not think that Sadr ordered this operation, but we are almost certain that some militia members who profess loyalty to him were involved," said a senior foreign ministry official.
He said that "the lack of organisation and discipline" within the Mahdi army's ranks had allowed the Iranians to move in and bring some of Sadr's fighters under their control. "They [the Iranians] want to show the US that they have influence over the Mahdi army, and that the US must come to them for help," he said.
Well-placed British officials pointed out yesterday that the Mahdi army was now made of different groups, not all of which are under Mr Sadr's control. Secret rogue cells in the militia are known to have links with Iran's revolutionary guards, though well-placed British officials also said these could operate without Iranian help.
The SAS, which is represented on the Cobra committee, is ready to intervene immediately if intelligence emerges on the whereabouts of the five Britons. An SAS team is on standby in Baghdad, prepared for such a crisis, and an MI5 intelligence officer has flown to the capital.
In Baghdad yesterday, US Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles, backed up by helicopters, took up positions around the Shia stronghold of Sadr City as US soldiers and Iraqi commandos pushed deeper into the district on the second day of operations aimed at finding the hostages.
The US military said they had arrested two members of a "secret cell terrorist network", but it was unclear whether they were connected to the abduction. Another raid targeted the home of a Shia cleric, Abdul-Zahra al-Suwaidi, who runs Mr Sadr's headquarters in Sadr City. The four security guards working for a Canadian-based firm, GardaWorld, and an expert from a US management consultancy firm, BearingPoint, were abducted from the finance ministry building in the capital by up to 40 men, some dressed in police uniforms, on Tuesday and driven towards Sadr City.
A spokesman for Mr Sadr denied that the kidnapping was officially sanctioned. "We are an obvious target. To do such a provocative act as this kidnapping would be counterproductive," said Salah al-Obeidi. "We are committed to the political path and it is working well for us."
Mr Sadr, who presents himself as an Iraqi nationalist, made his first public appearance in the country for four months last week, calling for American troops to leave and criticising the meeting between the Iranian and US ambassadors as an interference in Iraq's affairs.
His move was seen in part as an attempt to rally his movement, amid reports of splits. "In many ways the US has a common interest with Muqtada," said Patrick Clawson, deputy director of research at the conservative Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. He said Iran was working with a series of Mahdi army commanders and in many cases they were people Muqtada had kicked out of his movement. "The Iranians have never felt comfortable with a powerful Iraqi figure like Muqtada, who they don't completely control."
Mr Obeidi dismissed speculation that the abduction was connected to the killing of a senior Mahdi army official in Basra last week. "This was a well organised operation that would have taken some time to prepare," he said. British officials agreed. However, an Iraqi security official said the authorities were also considering the possibility that the abduction might be linked to the seizure of five Iranian officials by US forces in a raid in Irbil. Tehran has been pressing for the men's release.
Labels: Abdul-Zahra al-Suwaidi, Basra, British hostages, Cobra, Iran, Iranian detainees, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, SAS, Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi
Friday, May 18, 2007
Detained Iranians may be freed next month
Iran
(Reuters) - Five Iranians detained by U.S. forces in northern Iraq could be freed within the next month, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Friday. Washington says the five men, detained in January, are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and were backing militants in Iraq.
Iran insists they are diplomats, wants them freed and has requested access. Mottaki said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, who visited Tehran in April, had indicated they could be freed by June 21. "In Mr Zebari's trip, he said that (those detained) will be released in Khordad," Mottaki said, referring to the Iranian month of Khordad, which runs from May 22 to June 21.
Mottaki added that Zebari had said he was quoting U.S. officials in his comments. Mottaki said the five detainees had expressed a wish to meet Iranian consular officials before seeing family members. "Fifteen days ago, it was discussed that the families could meet their arrested loved ones and even some preliminary work was done," Mottaki told reporters in Tehran at a meeting with family members. He did not say who the discussions were with.
"But our colleagues in detention said that we prefer to have a meeting with consulate officials first and then with our families," he said. Mottaki repeated Iran's position that the detention was illegal and said he hoped the men would be released soon. "I told Mr Zebari that even one hour of illegally keeping them in detention is not justified," he said.Iranian family members voiced fears about their detained loves ones during the meeting with Mottaki.
Officials named the other three detained as Bagher Ghabishavi, Moussa Chegini and Abbas Hatami Kasavand. Iranian and U.S. officials are to meet in Iraq on May 28 to discuss security in the country, in a rare face-to-face meeting between the two rivals which have not had diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution. The five Iranians were detained in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. It is not clear where they are being held, but the U.S. military says they have been visited twice by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Iran insists they are diplomats, wants them freed and has requested access. Mottaki said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, who visited Tehran in April, had indicated they could be freed by June 21. "In Mr Zebari's trip, he said that (those detained) will be released in Khordad," Mottaki said, referring to the Iranian month of Khordad, which runs from May 22 to June 21.
Mottaki added that Zebari had said he was quoting U.S. officials in his comments. Mottaki said the five detainees had expressed a wish to meet Iranian consular officials before seeing family members. "Fifteen days ago, it was discussed that the families could meet their arrested loved ones and even some preliminary work was done," Mottaki told reporters in Tehran at a meeting with family members. He did not say who the discussions were with.
"But our colleagues in detention said that we prefer to have a meeting with consulate officials first and then with our families," he said. Mottaki repeated Iran's position that the detention was illegal and said he hoped the men would be released soon. "I told Mr Zebari that even one hour of illegally keeping them in detention is not justified," he said.Iranian family members voiced fears about their detained loves ones during the meeting with Mottaki.
Officials named the other three detained as Bagher Ghabishavi, Moussa Chegini and Abbas Hatami Kasavand. Iranian and U.S. officials are to meet in Iraq on May 28 to discuss security in the country, in a rare face-to-face meeting between the two rivals which have not had diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution. The five Iranians were detained in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. It is not clear where they are being held, but the U.S. military says they have been visited twice by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Labels: Abbas Hatami Kasavand, Bagher Ghabishavi, Hoshiyar Zebari, Iran, Iranian detainees, Khordad, Manouchehr Mottaki, Moussa Chegini, Revolutionary Guards
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Hoshyar Zibari says detained Iranians may be released
Politics, U.S., Iran
(The Independent) - The five Iranian officials whose abduction in an a US helicopter raid in January led to a crisis in relations between the US and Iran could be released in June according to the Iraqi foreign minister. In an interview in Baghdad, Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said that legally the US can only hold the Iranians for six months. It must then charge them, hand them over to Iraq or release them.
The Iranians were captured when the US launched a surprise raid on a long-established Iranian office in Arbil, the Kurdish capital in northern Iraq, on 11 January. Mr Zebari confirmed that the real targets were two senior Iranian security officials, the deputy head of Iran's National Security Council and General Minojahar Farouzanda, the head of intelligence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Both men were on an official visit to northern Iraq at the time of the US attack during which they had seen Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. Misled by the presence of their official car at the liaison office in Arbil - although they were in Mr Barzani's headquarters at Salahudin - US forces tried and failed to seize them.
Mr Zebari said there was "a possibility they will be released". This is because under an agreement governing such detentions the US "can detain them for 90 days and this can be renewed once. This is the military rule for holding such people: charge them, hand them over to the Iraqi authorities or release them. The time for their detention will expire in June when a decision will have to be made."
The Iranians were captured when the US launched a surprise raid on a long-established Iranian office in Arbil, the Kurdish capital in northern Iraq, on 11 January. Mr Zebari confirmed that the real targets were two senior Iranian security officials, the deputy head of Iran's National Security Council and General Minojahar Farouzanda, the head of intelligence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Both men were on an official visit to northern Iraq at the time of the US attack during which they had seen Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. Misled by the presence of their official car at the liaison office in Arbil - although they were in Mr Barzani's headquarters at Salahudin - US forces tried and failed to seize them.
Mr Zebari said there was "a possibility they will be released". This is because under an agreement governing such detentions the US "can detain them for 90 days and this can be renewed once. This is the military rule for holding such people: charge them, hand them over to the Iraqi authorities or release them. The time for their detention will expire in June when a decision will have to be made."
The Arbil raid came after George Bush made a speech on 10 January, identifying Iran and Syria as prime enemies of the US in Iraq. Mr Zebari has been outspoken in demanding their release, He said that since the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting last week the Iranian prisoners have been allowed to receive family visits.
Labels: General Minojahar Farouzanda, Hoshyar Zibari, Iranian detainees, U.S.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
U.S. will not release Iranian detainees
Security, Iran, U.S.
(Reuters) - In a move likely to irritate Tehran, the government has decided not to release five Iranians captured in Iraq, a newspaper reported on Friday. The Washington Post said that after intense internal debate, the Bush administration had decided to keep the Iranians in custody and make them go through a periodic six-month review process used for the other 250 foreign detainees held in Iraq.
The next review is not expected until July, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying. Washington says the five, seized in a January 11 raid by U.S. forces in the Kurdish city of Arbil, are linked with Iranian Revolutionary Guard networks involved in providing explosive devices used to attack U.S. troops in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has demanded their release.
The Post said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had wanted to free the men because she judged them no longer useful but went along with the decision to retain them in custody that was strongly supported by Vice President Dick Cheney.
The next review is not expected until July, the newspaper quoted U.S. officials as saying. Washington says the five, seized in a January 11 raid by U.S. forces in the Kurdish city of Arbil, are linked with Iranian Revolutionary Guard networks involved in providing explosive devices used to attack U.S. troops in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has demanded their release.
The Post said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had wanted to free the men because she judged them no longer useful but went along with the decision to retain them in custody that was strongly supported by Vice President Dick Cheney.
Labels: Iranian detainees, U.S.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Iran may not attend Cairo conference on Iraq due to detainees
Security, International, Iran
(Reuters) - Iran may not attend a multilateral conference on Iraq next month that includes the United States if U.S. forces do not release five Iranians it is holding there, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. In January, U.S. forces detained five Iranians linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards by Washington, which said they were backing Iraqi militants. Iran denies the charges, says they are diplomats and has demanded their release.
"We have reminded Iraqi officials that as long as the Iranian diplomats are not freed, Iran's participation at any conference about Iraq with the presence of America will face a serious problem and obstacle," Abbas Araghchi, a senior Foreign Ministry official, told Iran's hardline Kayhan daily. Araghchi represented Iran at a meeting of the United States, other world powers and Iraq's neighbors in Baghdad in March. During that meeting, he spoke with the U.S. representative, Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington's ambassador to Baghdad.
The meeting expected next month will be at ministerial level. U.S. officials have said U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice was open to talks with Iran over its role in Iraq but Tehran has said it has no plans for such a meeting. Iran said this month it had warned Iraq in a letter that its failure to secure the release of the five detained Iranians could impair Tehran's cooperation with Baghdad. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said he had not received any letter.
The U.S. military has said it is considering an Iranian request to visit the men. An International Committee of the Red Cross team has visited the detained Iranians. Araghchi said the Red Cross confirmed they were in "good health."
"We have reminded Iraqi officials that as long as the Iranian diplomats are not freed, Iran's participation at any conference about Iraq with the presence of America will face a serious problem and obstacle," Abbas Araghchi, a senior Foreign Ministry official, told Iran's hardline Kayhan daily. Araghchi represented Iran at a meeting of the United States, other world powers and Iraq's neighbors in Baghdad in March. During that meeting, he spoke with the U.S. representative, Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington's ambassador to Baghdad.
The meeting expected next month will be at ministerial level. U.S. officials have said U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice was open to talks with Iran over its role in Iraq but Tehran has said it has no plans for such a meeting. Iran said this month it had warned Iraq in a letter that its failure to secure the release of the five detained Iranians could impair Tehran's cooperation with Baghdad. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said he had not received any letter.
The U.S. military has said it is considering an Iranian request to visit the men. An International Committee of the Red Cross team has visited the detained Iranians. Araghchi said the Red Cross confirmed they were in "good health."
Labels: Abbas Araghchi, international security conference, Iran, Iranian detainees, Iraq, U.S.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Iran warns of consequences if detained Iranians in Iraq are not released
Security, Iran, U.S.
(Reuters) - Iran has warned neighboring Iraq that its failure to secure the release of five Iranians detained there by U.S. forces could impair Tehran's cooperation with Baghdad, a senior official was quoted on Sunday as saying. Washington says the five men, detained in January in northern Iraq, are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and were backing militants. Iran insists they are diplomats, wants them freed and has requested access.
"We are serious about the way we will confront those behind the arrest of the Iranian diplomats in Iraq," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency, seen as close to the Revolutionary Guards. "On Friday I sent a letter to the Iraqi foreign minister and other officials in Iraq and pointed out that their efforts over the release of the diplomats have had no results and I emphasized that if this situation continues we will have problems in taking other steps to help Iraq," he said.
Mottaki's Iraqi counterpart, Hoshiyar Zebari, said he had not received any letter. He insisted his government was working hard to secure the release of the five. "They know very well that the Iraqi government has done, and is doing, its best to try to facilitate their release. We still have not received any confirmation from the Americans that they will release them. "But we hope that this will not be a reason to disturb our bilateral relations," he told Reuters in Baghdad.
"We are serious about the way we will confront those behind the arrest of the Iranian diplomats in Iraq," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency, seen as close to the Revolutionary Guards. "On Friday I sent a letter to the Iraqi foreign minister and other officials in Iraq and pointed out that their efforts over the release of the diplomats have had no results and I emphasized that if this situation continues we will have problems in taking other steps to help Iraq," he said.
Mottaki's Iraqi counterpart, Hoshiyar Zebari, said he had not received any letter. He insisted his government was working hard to secure the release of the five. "They know very well that the Iraqi government has done, and is doing, its best to try to facilitate their release. We still have not received any confirmation from the Americans that they will release them. "But we hope that this will not be a reason to disturb our bilateral relations," he told Reuters in Baghdad.
The families of five Iranians held for three months in US detention in Iraq met an International Committee of the Red Cross representative on Sunday to ask for news about their health, state media said. Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said earlier that no Iranian official has so far visited the men, who were arrested in northern Iraq in January on accusations of seeking to stir the insurgency. ICRC representatives have seen the detainees twice, and the US has confirmed there were no Iranians among the visiting team.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross, Iranian detainees, Mohammed Ali Hosseini, Revolutionary Guards, U.S.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Barzani - while Iranians captured in Irbil, Al-Quds force visiting Kurdish officials
Iran, Kurdistan, U.S.
(AP) - American forces who captured five Iranians in the northern city of Irbil three months ago were really after commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who were visiting Kurdish officials, the Kurdish leader said in remarks broadcast Saturday. Massoud Barzani, president of the 15-year-old Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, told Al-Arabiyah television that the Iranian commanders first visited Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in the northern city of Sulaimaniyah and then went to visit him. Barzani did not say where he met the commanders, although he was thought to have been in Irbil at the time.
He also did not say how he knew U.S. forces were trying to capture the commanders or where they were when the Americans raided a house in Irbil on Jan. 11 and detained the five Iranians, who still are in U.S. custody. Irbil is the capital of the Kurdish region. "It (the house) was not a secret Iranian office. It is impossible for us to accept that an Iranian office in Irbil was doing things against coalition forces or against us. That office was doing its work in a normal way and had they been doing anything hostile, we would have known that," Barzani said.
"They did not come to detain the people in that office. There was an Iranian delegation, including Revolutionary Guards commanders, and they came as guests of the president. He was in Sulaimaniyah. They came to Sulaimaniyah and then I received a call from the president's office telling me that they wanted to meet me as well." U.S. Defense Department officials in Baghdad did not immediately respond to telephone and e-mail requests for comment.
Washington has said the five captured Iranians were rounded up on suspicion they were providing aid to Shiite militia fighters who are targeting U.S. and Iraqi troops and civilians. "They (the commanders) came here and they came openly. Their meetings with the president and myself were reported on television. The Americans came to detain this delegation, not the people in the office," he said. "They came to the wrong place at the wrong time. The only place where there is no Iranian influence is Irbil. I will never allow such influence in Kurdistan, whether Iranian or otherwise," Barzani added.
He also did not say how he knew U.S. forces were trying to capture the commanders or where they were when the Americans raided a house in Irbil on Jan. 11 and detained the five Iranians, who still are in U.S. custody. Irbil is the capital of the Kurdish region. "It (the house) was not a secret Iranian office. It is impossible for us to accept that an Iranian office in Irbil was doing things against coalition forces or against us. That office was doing its work in a normal way and had they been doing anything hostile, we would have known that," Barzani said.
"They did not come to detain the people in that office. There was an Iranian delegation, including Revolutionary Guards commanders, and they came as guests of the president. He was in Sulaimaniyah. They came to Sulaimaniyah and then I received a call from the president's office telling me that they wanted to meet me as well." U.S. Defense Department officials in Baghdad did not immediately respond to telephone and e-mail requests for comment.
Washington has said the five captured Iranians were rounded up on suspicion they were providing aid to Shiite militia fighters who are targeting U.S. and Iraqi troops and civilians. "They (the commanders) came here and they came openly. Their meetings with the president and myself were reported on television. The Americans came to detain this delegation, not the people in the office," he said. "They came to the wrong place at the wrong time. The only place where there is no Iranian influence is Irbil. I will never allow such influence in Kurdistan, whether Iranian or otherwise," Barzani added.
Labels: Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Iranian detainees, Irbil, Jalal Talabani, Massoud Barzani, Sulaymaniyah
Iranian ambassador calls press conference 'theatrical propaganda'
U.K., Iran, Security
(BBC) - Iran's ambassador to London has said Britain should respond "in a positive way" to the release of the 15 Royal Navy personnel held for 13 days. Rasoul Movahedian told the Financial Times Iran wanted help to release five Iranians held in Iraq and to ease fears globally about its nuclear programme. He said: "If they [the British] want to be helpful and use their influence we will welcome that. Iran has said a press conference where the crew described being bound and held alone was "theatrical propaganda" that did not justify their "mistake".
Mr Movahedian told the FT: "We played our part and we showed our good will... now it is up to the British government to proceed in a positive way," he said. He denied that the release of the crew was linked to the case of the Iranians being detained in Iraq or any other case. But he added: "If they [the British] want to be helpful and use their influence we will welcome that. "We will welcome in general any steps that could defuse tensions in the region."
But the BBC's Jill McGivering told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The key in all of this is how the US feels. "It is all very well talking about a plea for the UK to use its influence on the US but so far there are no signs from Washington at all that they give Iran any kind of credit for the way they have handled this." On Friday, at the Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor, Devon, the crew said they were told by their captors that if they did not admit they were in Iranian waters when captured they faced seven years in prison.
The officer in charge, Lieutenant Felix Carman, 26, of Swansea, said the sailors and marines were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters when they were captured. Royal Marine Captain Chris Air, 25, from Altrincham, Cheshire, said the crew had made it clear they were on a "routine operation allowed under a UN mandate" but that the Iranians had a "planned intent."
Lt Carman, said they were taken to a prison in Tehran where they were stripped and dressed in pyjamas. They were kept in stone cells, sleeping on blankets and held in isolation until the last few nights and frequently interrogated. The only woman in the group, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, believed for at least four days that she was the only one still being held. Royal Marine Joe Tindell told how they feared for their lives in prison.
"We had a blindfold and plastic cuffs, hands behind our backs, heads against the wall. Basically there were weapons cocking. Someone, I'm not sure who, someone said, I quote, 'lads, lads I think we're going to get executed'. After that comment someone was sick and as far as I was concerned he had just had his throat cut."
The BBC's Frances Harrison, in Tehran, said Iran feels the press conference revelations were the result of sailors "being briefed" by the UK government who "dictated to them [the sailors]". She pointed out that Iran said it was "standard procedure" for military personnel who intruded into Iran to be held in isolation, and said they compared their captivity to the way people are held at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The navy is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident and the wider rules of engagement for UK forces operating in the area.
Mr Movahedian told the FT: "We played our part and we showed our good will... now it is up to the British government to proceed in a positive way," he said. He denied that the release of the crew was linked to the case of the Iranians being detained in Iraq or any other case. But he added: "If they [the British] want to be helpful and use their influence we will welcome that. "We will welcome in general any steps that could defuse tensions in the region."
But the BBC's Jill McGivering told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The key in all of this is how the US feels. "It is all very well talking about a plea for the UK to use its influence on the US but so far there are no signs from Washington at all that they give Iran any kind of credit for the way they have handled this." On Friday, at the Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor, Devon, the crew said they were told by their captors that if they did not admit they were in Iranian waters when captured they faced seven years in prison.
The officer in charge, Lieutenant Felix Carman, 26, of Swansea, said the sailors and marines were 1.7 nautical miles from Iranian waters when they were captured. Royal Marine Captain Chris Air, 25, from Altrincham, Cheshire, said the crew had made it clear they were on a "routine operation allowed under a UN mandate" but that the Iranians had a "planned intent."
Lt Carman, said they were taken to a prison in Tehran where they were stripped and dressed in pyjamas. They were kept in stone cells, sleeping on blankets and held in isolation until the last few nights and frequently interrogated. The only woman in the group, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, believed for at least four days that she was the only one still being held. Royal Marine Joe Tindell told how they feared for their lives in prison.
"We had a blindfold and plastic cuffs, hands behind our backs, heads against the wall. Basically there were weapons cocking. Someone, I'm not sure who, someone said, I quote, 'lads, lads I think we're going to get executed'. After that comment someone was sick and as far as I was concerned he had just had his throat cut."
The BBC's Frances Harrison, in Tehran, said Iran feels the press conference revelations were the result of sailors "being briefed" by the UK government who "dictated to them [the sailors]". She pointed out that Iran said it was "standard procedure" for military personnel who intruded into Iran to be held in isolation, and said they compared their captivity to the way people are held at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The navy is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident and the wider rules of engagement for UK forces operating in the area.
Labels: Chris Air, Faye Turney, Felix Carman, Iran, Iranian detainees, Joe Tindell, Rasoul Movahedian, Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor, Royal Navy, U.S.
Friday, April 06, 2007
U.S. - no plans to release Iranian detainees in Iraq
Iran, U.S.
(Al Jazeera) - Robert Gates, the United States defence secretary, has said that the US has no plans to release five Iranians who were captured in Iraq and accused of supporting anti-government fighters there. He also rejected speculation that the US had been part of a deal which led Iran to release 15 British servicemen earlier on Thursday.
"I think there's no inclination right now to let them go," Gates told reporters in Washington when asked about the five Iranians, who were captured by US forces in northern Iraq in January. Washington has denied that it had been involved in any deal which offered concessions to Iran in return for the release of the 15 British servicemen, who were seized by Iranian troops near the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
George Bush, the US president, said on Tuesday that he agreed with Tony Blair, the British prime minister, "that there should be no quid pro quos when it comes to the hostages". Gates, however, said that US and Iraqi officials were considering arranging for Iranian representatives to visit the captured men, whom Iran says are legitimate diplomats.
Iraqi government officials and US officials are discussing if there's some way, perhaps, that there could be some kind of Iranian access to them," he said. "But as far as I know, there's no requirement for that. "I don't think that consular access is being considered. I think the issue is whether there's some other means by which some other access might be given."
Gates's comments came after Major-General William Caldwell, a US military spokesman, told reporters in Baghdad that a consular request to visit the five Iranians was "being assessed". The five Iranians were arrested by US forces in the northern city of Irbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, on January 11.
US officials accused the men of being members of the elite Al-Quds brigade of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and of helping organise attacks on US and Iraqi forces. Washington and Tehran broke off diplomatic ties almost 27 years ago and US interests in Iran are conducted via Switzerland.
(Al Jazeera) - Robert Gates, the United States defence secretary, has said that the US has no plans to release five Iranians who were captured in Iraq and accused of supporting anti-government fighters there. He also rejected speculation that the US had been part of a deal which led Iran to release 15 British servicemen earlier on Thursday.
"I think there's no inclination right now to let them go," Gates told reporters in Washington when asked about the five Iranians, who were captured by US forces in northern Iraq in January. Washington has denied that it had been involved in any deal which offered concessions to Iran in return for the release of the 15 British servicemen, who were seized by Iranian troops near the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
George Bush, the US president, said on Tuesday that he agreed with Tony Blair, the British prime minister, "that there should be no quid pro quos when it comes to the hostages". Gates, however, said that US and Iraqi officials were considering arranging for Iranian representatives to visit the captured men, whom Iran says are legitimate diplomats.
Iraqi government officials and US officials are discussing if there's some way, perhaps, that there could be some kind of Iranian access to them," he said. "But as far as I know, there's no requirement for that. "I don't think that consular access is being considered. I think the issue is whether there's some other means by which some other access might be given."
Gates's comments came after Major-General William Caldwell, a US military spokesman, told reporters in Baghdad that a consular request to visit the five Iranians was "being assessed". The five Iranians were arrested by US forces in the northern city of Irbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, on January 11.
US officials accused the men of being members of the elite Al-Quds brigade of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and of helping organise attacks on US and Iraqi forces. Washington and Tehran broke off diplomatic ties almost 27 years ago and US interests in Iran are conducted via Switzerland.
Labels: Al-Quds brigade, British sailors, Iranian detainees, Irbil, Robert Gates, U.S.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Iranian representative to meet five Iranians detained in Iraq
Iran, Iraq
(RFE/RL) - Iran's state IRNA news agency says an Iranian representative is to meet with five Iranians detained in Iraq by U.S. forces for the first time since their capture in January. The report did not say when a meeting might take place. In Baghdad, U.S. military spokesman Christopher Garver had no immediate comment. The United States accuses the five of being members of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and providing material support to militants. Iran says they are diplomats.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry continues to push for the release of five Iranians detained during a U.S. military raid in January, Iraq's Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi told CNN on Tuesday. It was unclear whether the situation of the five Iranians had any connection to negotiations aimed at freeing 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran.
When asked if the Iranians could be released in exchange for the Britons, Abawi said "as far as we know, it's not a factor. We have no indication that there is any attempt by the Iranians to do an exchange," he said. However, he did note that the release "maybe could provide some sort of good condition for the release of the sailors. Any problem solved maybe can help solve another problem," he said.
But a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official told The Associated Press that Iraqi efforts to obtain the five Iranians' release "will be a factor that will help in the release of the British sailors and marines." The official quoted by AP spoke on condition of anonymity because of not being authorized to release the information.
President Bush was asked by a reporter in Washington on Tuesday whether the United States would be willing to give up the five Iranians to help obtain release of the Britons. "I support the Blair government's attempts to solve this issue peacefully. So we're in close consultation with the British government," he responded. "I also strongly support the prime minister's declaration that there should be no quid pro quos when it comes to the hostages."
The U.S. military said the five men are suspected of having connections to Iran's Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force, which the United States accuses of providing weapons and funding to Shiite insurgent groups in Iraq. They were detained on January 11 in Irbil, an Iraqi Kurdish city near the Iranian border. "We've always been assured that they will be released as soon as the investigation is complete," Abawi said Tuesday. "We have raised this matter many times and we hope that this will end soon."
When asked if the Iranians could be released in exchange for the Britons, Abawi said "as far as we know, it's not a factor. We have no indication that there is any attempt by the Iranians to do an exchange," he said. However, he did note that the release "maybe could provide some sort of good condition for the release of the sailors. Any problem solved maybe can help solve another problem," he said.
But a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official told The Associated Press that Iraqi efforts to obtain the five Iranians' release "will be a factor that will help in the release of the British sailors and marines." The official quoted by AP spoke on condition of anonymity because of not being authorized to release the information.
President Bush was asked by a reporter in Washington on Tuesday whether the United States would be willing to give up the five Iranians to help obtain release of the Britons. "I support the Blair government's attempts to solve this issue peacefully. So we're in close consultation with the British government," he responded. "I also strongly support the prime minister's declaration that there should be no quid pro quos when it comes to the hostages."
The U.S. military said the five men are suspected of having connections to Iran's Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force, which the United States accuses of providing weapons and funding to Shiite insurgent groups in Iraq. They were detained on January 11 in Irbil, an Iraqi Kurdish city near the Iranian border. "We've always been assured that they will be released as soon as the investigation is complete," Abawi said Tuesday. "We have raised this matter many times and we hope that this will end soon."
Labels: Deputy Foreign Minister Labid Abawi, Iranian detainees, Quds Force
