Iran holds U.S. responsible for attack on diplomats in Baghdad

[struggle4progress]

Source: Xinhua

www.chinaview.cn
2008-05-17
21:14:34

TEHRAN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran has denounced "terror attack" on its embassy staff in Baghdad and held the United States responsible for violating diplomatic immunity in Iraq, the official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made the remarks, while strongly condemning the terror attack, said IRNA ... The top Iranian diplomat also asked Iran's Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi to work with Iraqi officials to transfer the wounded embassy staff to Iran for medical treatment, according to IRNA ...

An Iraqi Interior Ministry source said on Friday that five Iranian embassy staff were wounded when their vehicles came under fire on Thursday night in northern Baghdad.

"Unknown gunmen opened small-arms fire on two sport utility vehicles (SUV) of the Iranian embassy at about 9:30 p.m.(1900 GMT)near Buratha Shiite mosque in Ateifiyah neighborhood," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity ...

However, an Iraqi military source told Xinhua a different story when he said that Iraqi soldiers at a checkpoint opened fire on two SUVs carrying the Iranians after the soldiers themselves came under fire by gunmen in the vehicles ...

Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/17/content_8195149.htm

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Iran says gunmen tried to assassinate embassy staff
May 16, 2008 -- Updated 2204 GMT (0604 HKT)

(CNN) -- ... IRNA reported on Friday that four Iranian Embassy staff members and diplomats were seriously injured when "unknown terrorists" shot at their car on Thursday.

An Iraqi Interior Ministry report said unidentified gunmen in northern Baghdad fired on two SUVs carrying five employees and a driver -- all of whom were transported to an Iraqi hospital for treatment.

The Baghdad Operations Command, however, reported that an Iraqi army patrol was shot at and returned fire at the SUVs -- injuring the embassy workers and their driver, according to the official ...

Col. Jerry O'Hara, a U.S. military spokesman, emphasized the United States "was in no way involved in this attack," refuting press reports that indicated American forces were involved ...

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/16/iraq.main/