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| Iraq |
| 5 Iranian officials released by US return to Iran |
| 2009-07-12 |
| Five Iranian officials held in Iraq for more than two years by U.S. forces returned home Sunday after the U.S. released them under pressure from the Iraqi government. American officials said a U.S.-Iraqi security agreement required that they hand the men over, but said they fear the Iranians — held on suspicion of aiding Shiite militants — pose a threat to U.S. troops in Iraq. The five men were handed over to Iraqi officials Thursday and flew Sunday to Tehran where they were met at the airport by a cheering crowd of onlookers who carried the men on their shoulders and put garlands of flowers around their necks. Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in a news conference with the men welcomed them back and praised what he described as their courageous resistance while being held in Iraq by U.S. forces. The Iranians were detained in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil in January 2007. At the time, U.S. authorities said the men included the operations chief and other members of Iran's elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. Iran denied the claim, and has described the men as diplomats who were kidnapped by U.S. forces. Mottaki accused President Barack Obama of continuing the bullying practices of his predecessor. "Iran preserves its right for legal action against the bullying act of the Bush administration in detaining Iranian diplomats, which was unfortunately continued in the new administration," Mottaki was quoted as saying by Iranian television. The U.S. has long charged that Iran is behind much of the violence in Iraq and has been financing and assisting Shiite militias in attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said earlier that the transfer could help improve dialogue between the U.S. and Iran after a decades-long adversarial relationship. Under the U.S.-Iraqi security pact that went into effect in January, the U.S. must hand over Iraqi and foreign detainees in its custody. Iran and Iraq have enjoyed better relations after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 toppled the government of Saddam Hussein, who launched an eight-year war against Iran in the early 1980s. The release of the five has been portrayed in Iran as a victory for the Islamic Republic at a time when the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is under domestic and international criticism following the disputed June 12 presidential election and the ensuing government crackdown on protests. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #2 ... After they sent our boys and girls back to America in caskets. Rot in hell Barack Hussein Obama. That is a guarantee, boy. |
| Posted by: Spats Gruper7247 2009-07-12 17:54 |
| #1 Tradeoff for Saberi |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2009-07-12 12:29 |