Iranian Diplomat Reportedly Held in Iraq

[cal04]

Militants in Iraq (news - web sites) said Sunday they had taken a top Iranian diplomat hostage, according to video shown on the Arab-language Al-Arabiya television station.

The video showed a bearded man identified as Faridoun Jihani speaking to the camera, though his voice was not audible. The video also showed nine forms of his identification, as well as his passport and a business card identifying him as the "consul for the Islamic Republic of Iran in Karbala," a southern Iraqi city.

The kidnappers, who called themselves the "Islamic Army in Iraq," accused Jihani of provoking sectarian war in Iraq and they warned Iran not to interfere in Iraq's affairs, according to Al-Arabiya. The kidnappers did not appear to threaten Jihani and made no demands, according to the report.

Jihani would be the second senior diplomat taken hostage in Iraq in recent weeks. Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb, an Egyptian diplomat, was abducted July 23 outside a mosque in Baghdad and freed unharmed July 26.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040808/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_iranian_diplomat&cid=540&ncid=716

[Nambe]

1. Enter Iran.

Quagmire. Unstable. How many people used these words before the war?

[MaineDem]

2. THIS will go over well in Teheran

Not.

[cal04]

3. Update from BBC

An Iranian diplomat has been kidnapped in Iraq, the Iranian embassy in Baghdad has confirmed. The embassy said Fereidoun Jahani was seized on Wednesday as he travelled from Baghdad to the Shia Muslim holy city of Karbala, in central Iraq. He had been due to start work there as the Iranian consul. A group claiming to hold Mr Jahani said he was captured for "stirring sectarian strife", al-Arabiya TV reported after receiving a recorded message.

A video from the group, which called itself the Islamic Army in Iraq, showed a passport and business card with Mr Jahani's name on them
"The group also warned Iran against flagrant interference in the affairs of Iraq," the television station said. It did not mention any threats against the hostage or demands by the group. The Islamic Army in Iraq was reported to have killed two Pakistani hostages last month.

About 20 foreign nationals are known to be held hostage in Iraq.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3546548.stm

[kodi]

4. shia on shia? or is it the begining of sunni versus shia violence in iraq?

with the iranians generally supporting iraqi shia clerics either there is enough schism in the shia communities to have the iranians siding with one faction over the other, or sunni forces are concerned about iranian support of iraqi shia forces.

either way, bad juju on the rise.

[daleo]

5. This could be one of Negroponte's tricks

Sew discord, maybe start a war.