The U.S. military accused the Iranians of links to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard faction that is allegedly supporting insurgents in Iraq. It disputed Iranian claims that the men were diplomats and that the office is a consulate.

In its letter, Iran's deputy ambassador Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi strongly condemned the Jan. 11 raid and accused the U.S. of "another flagrant violation of the basic principles of international law" and diplomatic conventions which bar attacks on diplomatic missions.

The Foreign Ministry said U.S. forces also confiscated documents and other property. It said Iran has had an office in Irbil since 1992, and its status was officially changed to a consulate in the past year.

Danesh-Yazdi called for the immediate release of the five Iranians, the return of the property seized by U.S. forces and compensation for damages to the consulate.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran holds the U.S. government fully responsible for the consequences of this unlawful act, and for the safety and security of the ... consular officers," Danesh-Yazdi said.

"Indeed, the said attack constitutes a matter of grave concern that requires an urgent and resolute response on the part of the United Nations, and in particular the Security Council," Danesh-Yazdi said.

He did not indicate what specific response Iran was seeking, but asked Ban to circulate his letter as an official document of the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Here is a link to the story:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_iran_iraq

This human rights related site may also interest you:

http://argusfest.org/

as well as this:

http://www.democracynow.org/

Best wishes,

Take care-

Taylor

http://my.care2.com/bluessunn

http://www.musicforte.com/member/bluessunn