Meanwhile, four Iraqis have been arrested in the kidnapping of an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad. The diplomat, Jalal Sharafi, was seized by gunmen wearing uniforms of a special Iraqi unit under U.S. direction. Iran says it holds the U.S. responsible.

Iranian Vice President Rahim Mashaei: “It is evident that these actions are not beneficial for the people of Iraq, the people of this region, and certainly not for world peace. We must endeavor to put an end to this. The main problem is the current occupation, and there are no possibilities of us reaching any positive conclusions with the current circumstances.”

The Pentagon is denying Iranian accusations of involvement.