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U.S. forces raid Iranian consulate

Atul Aneja

A provocative action, says Tehran

DUBAI: Iran's Foreign Ministry has summoned the envoys of Switzerland and Iraq to lodge its protest over the detention of six of its staffers from its consulate in northern Iraq by U.S. forces. Iranian state television in its broadcast said the Government had "demanded an explanation" about the incident from the ambassadors of the two countries.

The United States does not have an embassy in Tehran and Switzerland represents its interests in Iran. U.S. troops had raided the Iranian consulate in the Kurdish city of Irbil and had made the arrests. They had also seized computers and documents from the mission.

The U.S. military acknowledged that it had arrested six persons in the region, but did not mention that the Iranian consulate was the target. The incident follows a major policy speech on Iraq by U.S. President George Bush, where he accused Iran and Syria of interference in Iraq. On Wednesday night, Mr. Bush said that Iran and Syria were "allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq."

"We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria," he warned. "And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."

The U.S. President said that Patriot missile batteries would be deployed in friendly countries in the region, signalling a preparation to ward off a possible Iranian missile strike.

Patriot missiles were used in the first Gulf War to counter Iraqi missile attacks. Condemning the raid, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, said the "provocative U.S. action" was contrary to all international laws.

"By doing this, the Americans are following two aims, firstly to continue their pressure on Iran and secondly to create tension among Iraq's neighbours".

Blasts in Iranian city

Meanwhile, three explosions rocked Khorramshahr — an Iranian city in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan. According to Iran's Fars news agency, "the three explosions were so strong that they shook windows of houses."

Unlike the rest of Iran, Khuzestan has a majority Arab population and is close to the southern Iraqi border, where British troops have been deployed.

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