Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:08:37 GMT

Senior US officials in Iraq have said that three Iranian diplomats, recently released by the US, had been taken 'hostages'.

A former and a currently serving senior US official has claimed that the three diplomats were in effect 'hostages' taken by Washington in a bid to persuade Iran to 'reduce its support for anti-US violence in Iraq', the Washington Times said in an exclusive report on Tuesday.

The second US official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that the three Iranian diplomats were held as 'potential leverage' against Iran, which he claimed provided financial and weapons support to anti-US Iraqi operations after the 2003 US-led invasion.

The three Iranian diplomats were kidnapped by US forces during a raid on the Iranian Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil in 2007 and were held in Iraq for two and a-half years without any charges.

The three Iranian nationals were later joined by two other Iranians who were kidnapped elsewhere in Iraq by US occupation troops.

Although they have never been charged or tried for any offence, the five remained in detention until last Thursday, when they were released by the US and handed over to the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The freed Iranian officials arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday and received a hero's welcome.

http://www.presstv.ir/new/detail.aspx?id=100831&sectionid=351020101