Iranian diplomat Jalal Sharafi (L) talks to Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on 03 April 2007. Sharafy told the IRNA news agency that he was tortured by his US intelligence officials after he was kidnapped in Iraq. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
TEHRAN, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian diplomat released this week after being abducted in Iraq said that he had been tortured by CIA agents, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.
Jalal Sharafi "explained how he was kidnapped and tortured by American troops and agents of an Iraqi organization acting under the supervision of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),"IRNA said.
Signs of torture were evident on Sharafi's body and he "is now undergoing medical treatment," IRNA said.
Iranian officials have said that Sharafi was abducted on Feb. 4 by about 30 gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms in more than 10 military vehicles, in front of the Baghdad branch of Iran's state-owned Bank Melli without any escort.
"While shopping at a store in one of Baghdad streets, I was kidnapped by several agents who were holding identity cards of Iraq 's Ministry of Defense," Sharafi was quoted by IRNA as saying.
"Then the kidnappers took me to a base near Baghdad Airport and I was investigated by a few interrogators. Some of them were speaking in Arabic and others in English," he said.
The questions of CIA agents mainly concerned Iran's presence in and influence on Iraq, the Iranian diplomat said, adding that they kept on asking about the extent of Iran's assistance to Nouri al-Maleki's government and Iraqi groups.
"Upon hearing my response about Iran's official relations with the Iraqi government and officials, they continued torturing me," Sharafi said.
"Then they attempted to encourage me to cooperate with them by changing their approach. But I told them that they can contact Iranian Embassy in Baghdad for any information, given that I am only a diplomat and cannot act beyond the limit of my legal duties," he said.
Sharafi said later he heard that under the pressure of Iraqi officials, the kidnappers were forced to release him. "After they set me free near Baghdad Airport, I managed to get to the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad with the assistance of people," he said.
Iranian state-run television reported on Tuesday that the second secretary of Iran's embassy in Iraq had been released.
Sharafi was abducted on Feb. 4 by about 30 gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms in more than 10 military vehicles, in front of the Baghdad branch of Iran's state-owned Bank Melli without any escort.
Iran accused the U.S. forces in Iraq of "supervising the operation," saying "Iran holds America responsible for the safety and life of the (abducted) diplomat."
But the U.S. side has denied the accusations. The U.S. military on Tuesday said it was ignorant of Sharafi's release. "We were not holding him, so we do not know about his release," said spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver.
TEHRAN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian state-run television reported on Tuesday that the second secretary of Iran's embassy in Iraq, who was kidnapped in Baghdad in February, had been released. Full story
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