US Frees Iranian diplomats in Iraq
Presstv / presstv news
09-Jul-2009 (15 comments)

Iran's ambassador to Baghdad says five Iranian diplomats who were kidnapped by US forces have been handed over to the government of Nouri al-Maliki.

"US occupying forces have handed over the five Iranian diplomats to the Iraqi Prime Minister [Nouri al-Maliki]," the ambassador told Fars news agency on Thursday.

"The diplomats will be transferred to the Iranian Embassy after meeting with the prime minister," Hossein Kazemi-Qomi said.

Three of the diplomats were among the five staff abducted in January 2007 by US troops in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil during a raid on the Iranian Consulate.

Two of the abductees were released later, and the three who were kept locked up were later joined by two other Iranians kidnapped elsewhere in Iraq by the US occupation troops.

Although they have never been charged or tried for any offence, the five remained in detention until today, despite repeated requests by the Iraqi government for their release.

The Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said in February that, not only was his government pressing for their release, but that he even 'would throw a party to celebrate their release together'.

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Jaleho

Good start for a US-Iran rapprochement

by Jaleho on

Iran helped defeat the original Bush proposed SOFA. The new version of SOFA was not only a victory for Iraqi people, but also a victory for Iran's foreign policy.



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Iranian for Aryans

Check out my website, you might find it of interest

by Iranian for Aryans on

iranianforaryans.blogspot.com


capt_ayhab

Iraq's National Holiday

by capt_ayhab on

Press TV say[The Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said in February that, not only was his government pressing for their release, but that he even 'would throw a party to celebrate their release together'.]

Press TV [monkeys' mouthpiece] is being modest, Iraq actually announced a national holiday for the occasion[My size 10 FOOT]. 

 

-YT 


Shah Ghollam

An111

by Shah Ghollam on

"Now I hope that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security finally comes to itse senses and starts to round up IRI spies such as you in the U.S. "

It is time for a real cold shower for you!


Bavafa

Iranfirst : even if they were the same as Basiji thugs

by Bavafa on

US has no business to kidnap and hold them without any charges, or at least NOT as long as they beat the drum of "law obedient government",

They could be Basiji thugs and they could be not. That is for courts to find out. And any proud and true Iranian would want to deal with those thugs themselves not to outsource it to another regime.

Your hatred for IRI is blinding you to sell Iran and Iranians to any thing but Muslim

Mehrdad

P.S. Lets have Iran and Iranians truly first and let us ourselves deal with those thugs.  God knows there are planty of them and their turn will come.  Nothing is for ever.


minadadvar

jaleho

by minadadvar on

Are you Ja _ _ _ Le _ Ho _ _?  

Are you, self proclaimed writer (lol),  philosopher (lol), artist (??), agnostic computer programmer ?  Fairly bright with unimpressive academic credentials ?

Are you Iranian ?  

Time to hide behind another fake username ?  Maybe!!

P.S: All the world leaders are waiting in line to seek your advice/approval ?!! (lol)  You are such a joke.


IranFirst

These IRI terrorists had no value..

by IranFirst on

These IR terrorists that IRI calls them diplomats (they are the same as the Basij thugs that kill our people every day), had lost their real value and US had got all the inteligence that they had (not their own inteligence since basijis are all dumb and idiots), the name of contacts , etc. So why keep them and feed these bastards.  Talking with Antari will be interesting. I don't think O will dare talk to this monkey for a long long time (if at all) after the masacres in Tehran


khaleh mosheh

Fantastic Makhmalbaf

by khaleh mosheh on

Its good to see Makhmalbaf give the mulla worshipping piglets a good spitroasting.


Anonymous111

Great

by Anonymous111 on

Now I hope that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security finally comes to itse senses and starts to round up IRI spies such as you in the U.S.


default

'even stricter' Iran sanctions

by FYI (not verified) on

Clinton calls for 'even stricter' Iran sanctions
AFP - World News
Jul 8, 2009

CARACAS — The United States will call for "even stricter sanctions on Iran to try to change the behavior of the regime," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a TV interview broadcast here.

Washington remained concerned about what she called Iran's "pursuit of nuclear weapons," which could "be very destabilizing in the Middle East and beyond," Clinton told the private television network Globovision.

Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian energy purposes.

"We would ask the world to join us in imposing even stricter sanctions on Iran to try to change the behavior of the regime," Clinton said in the interview, which was broadcast late Tuesday.

And noting the unrest in the country since the disputed June presidential election, she added: "We have seen in the last weeks that Iran has not respected its own democracy.

"It has taken actions against his own citizens for peacefully protesting," she said, referring to the mass demonstrations in response to the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The victory for the hardline incumbent, who enjoys the backing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparked fraud allegations from two of his rival candidates, ex-prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and reformist Mehdi Karroubi.

"I think it is not a very smart position to ally with a regime that is being rejected by so many of their own people," Clinton said in the interview.

The administration of President Barack Obama, Clinton added, thinks "it is not in the best interest" of the world to be doing business with Iran that would "promote the regime... that is not smart."

Clinton also expressed concern at the political and economic alliance between Venezuela and Iran.

The South American country's strongman leader Hugo Chavez is Iran's main ally in the region. Chavez has defended Ahmadinejad numerous times in recent weeks.

"We call on the world to respect Iran because there are attempts to undermine the strength of the Iranian revolution," Chavez said in his weekly radio and television address last month after the election.

Iran dominated talks between Obama and Russian leaders Tuesday, with White House officials noting Moscow now seemed more receptive to US arguments.

US Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough said Obama was "struck by the candor with which President (Dmitry) Medvedev has underscored his concern about the growing threat from Iran."

While Tehran insists its nuclear program is strictly for energy production, the United States has long voiced fears that it could be used to manufacture an atomic bomb.

Iran -- whose president has called for Israel to be wiped from the map -- also possesses missiles capable of reaching targets throughout the Middle East that could be fitted with nuclear warheads if Tehran possessed them.


default

Nothing but propaganda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by LOL (not verified) on

I guess the following are all "CNN-Twiter-facebook propaganda"!!!!

//iranian.com/main/2009/jul/18-tir-2009


Jaleho

I don't think so!!

by Jaleho on

you said: "Next step after freeing the Iranian hostages is to remove the sanctions. "

--With TRAITORS like Makhmalbaaf going around EU parliament begging the Europeans for more sanctions on Iran,

--considering that had he done similar things in Israeli-Occupied-US-Congress which is dying for more sanctions on Iran anyway, he would have had a standing ovation,

--considering that Obama has just recently renewed the sanctions that was initiated under Clinton and renewed under Bush,

you can bet that removal of sanctions is NOT a realistic next step.

In fact, the release of Iranin diplomats has been such an adamant request from Iran, that US would expect something in return before going ahead with more positive gestures. One thing is sure, those who think Obama will be stupid enough to endanger a relation with Iran based on the CNN-Twiter-facebook propaganda are completely wrong and will get a rude awakening by a faster than expected US-Iran rapprochement!

I think the next step instead of a reduction of sanctions, will be in the other direction: Iran helping the US in Afghanistan a little bit in exchange for Obama not making stupid mistakes of Bush and the neocons, and the good gesture of releasing the diplomats. 


default

To Jaleho

by Advisor (not verified) on

Dear

The U.S. cannot save your regime so do not place too much hope on Obama to save your beloved regime from her inevitable doom.


default

To Ostaad: the final step for Obama interested in rapprochement

by To add (not verified) on

and the final step would be to declare Mahmood as the legal life-long president of Iran and Mojtaba Khameneii as successor to his Supreme leader daddy. How about that?


Ostaad

Iran also helped defeat Bush's original constitution drafted by

by Ostaad on

Noah Feldman, an American Jew (//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Feldman)

Iran also supported Sistani's crucial Fatwa to defeat the utterly undemocratic scheme that Paul Bremer intended to impose on Iraq. The US wanted to establish "caucuses", whose members were vetted by Paul Bremer exactly like Khamenie's role in Iran's election, but Sistani announce any constitution or election not instituted and managed by Iraqis is illegal.

This is yet another sign from Obama that he's genuinely interested in a real rapprochement with Iran.

Next step after freeing the Iranian hostages is to remove the sanctions.