TEHRAN, Aug. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The Iranian embassy in Baghdad confirmed Sunday that its consul in Karbala had been kidnapped,state television reported.

    Fereydun Jahani had been appointed Karbala consul last Wednesdayand was held hostage Sunday on the road connecting Baghdad andKarbala, the television reported.

    Karbala is an important Shiite holy city 80 km south of Bagdad.A video released earlier on Sunday by Arab-language Al-ArabiyaTV channel showed Jihani along with nine forms of hisidentification, his passport and a business card.

    Claiming themselves as "Islamic Army in Iraq", the kidnappersaccused Jihani of fanning sectarian clashes in Iraq, warning Irannot to interfere in Iraq's affairs, according to Al-Arabiya.Iran, a Shiite Muslim country with close ties to Iraq's majorityShiite population, is blamed for supporting Iraq's Shiite politicalparties with money and intelligence, an allegation strongly deniedby the Iranian government.

    Jihani became the second senior diplomat kidnapped in Iraq inrecent weeks.

    An Egyptian diplomat called Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb wasabducted on July 23 and later freed on July 26.

    More than 70 foreigners have been seized in Iraq in recentmonths by insurgents who want to force coalition members to pullout their forces and foreign companies to stop supporting coalitiontroops. Enditem