The US forces have arrested Iranian nationals in recent months, including five staff of the Iranian consulate in January in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, on charges of offering assistance to armed groups in Iraq.

Iraqi officials earlier Friday handed over nine Iranians, detained by US forces in Iraq, to Iranian embassy officials in Baghdad.

"Islamic Republic of Iran advises American officials to respect the principles of consulate and human rights conventions and immediately release the remaining Iranians," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said in a statement carried by state television IRIB on its website.

Two diplomats, Hamid-Reza Asgari and Moussa Chegini, had been among the nine arrested in city of Arbil and released on Friday.

Agencies

Güncelleme Tarihi: 09 Kasım 2007, 15:34