Controversy as US arrests six in raid on 'Iranian consulate'

ARBIL, Iraq (AFP) - A diplomatic row erupted after US forces arrested six people described by Iraqi and Iranian officials as the staff at an Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil.

Tehran and the regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan accused US troops of raiding a diplomatic building -- which should have been protected under international law -- and demanded that the detainees be released.

But in Washington, a Pentagon spokesman denied that the building was a consulate and insisted the captives are "suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraq and coalition forces."

"We don't know the reason for this," an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The Americans arrested five employees and took all the computers and documentation."

The building in Arbil was sealed off by Kurdish security forces, and local officials confirmed that there had been arrests by US forces.

The raid came just hours after US President George W. Bush announced he had ordered 21,500 more troops to Iraq and promised to take aggressive steps to curtail what he described as Iranian and Syrian help for insurgents.

The White House declined to comment specifically on the operation, but unapologetically defended it.

"If we get information that is actionable that the Iranians are interfering with Iraq, with Iraqis, or in any way going to harm Americans that we're going to take action," said national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"The president made it clear last night that we will not tolerate outside interference in Iraq. And that's what the Iranians are up to."

Iran expressed its "strong condemnation of the US forces' action which was against all international regulations."

"We expect the Iraqi government to act quickly for the release of these people and to condemn the US forces and not let them disturb the two countries' relations with their illegal and spontaneous action," a senior foreign ministry official told Iraqi ambassador Mohammed Majid al-Sheikh.

The Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq -- normally a staunch supporter of US policy in the region -- also condemned the raid and demanded the immediate release of all prisoners taken.

"The presidency and the government of the Kurdish region of Iraq express their disapproval of the operation against the Iranian consulate," said a statement from regional president Massud Barzani's office.

The statement recalled that diplomatic premises were protected from attack under international protocols and accused US forces of "damaging efforts to restore stability and security in Iraq."

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said: "I can confirm for you through our forces there that this is not a consulate or a government building."

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters that Baghdad had asked the Americans to clarify who was arrested and why, confirming that the foreign ministry in Baghdad was investigating the matter.

"We need to identify who those people are and why they were arrested. We have an office in Arbil and the foreign ministry in Baghdad is working on this to find out exactly what happened," he said.

Washington has not confirmed that diplomats were targeted, but has long accused Tehran's agents of fomenting unrest in Iraq and smuggling weapons to militias involved in sectarian violence and attacks on US forces.

"Coalition forces conducted routine security operations in northern Iraq and took six individuals into custody suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraqi and coalition forces," the US military in Iraq said.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who is expected to meet Rice during an imminent tour of the Middle East, stood shoulder to shoulder with his US ally, warning Shiite Iran: "Don't touch Iraq," in a newspaper interview.

Last month, US forces detained two Iranians among eight people rounded up on suspicion of weapons smuggling in Baghdad. They were later released.

Tension between Iran and the United States has soared after the UN Security Council voted to impose sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme and Tehran vowed to start immediately expanding its capacity to enrich uranium.

Washington accuses Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, a charge vehemently denied by the oil-rich Islamic republic, which says it only wants to provide atomic energy to a growing population.

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