Iran warned the Iraqi government Monday that it was taking "very seriously" the matter of an Iranian diplomat held hostage in Iraq and threatened with "punishment" by his captors.
"Iran is holding the interim government solely responsible" for the safety of Fereydun Jahani, abducted on August 4, government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh told reporters.
"We are following this matter, which we are taking very seriously," he added.
A group calling itself The Islamic Army of Iraq has said it will "punish" Jahani if Iran does not release 500 Iraqis allegedly held since the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88.
Ramezanzadeh repeated that Iran had freed all its prisoners of war, adding, "this file is closed, Iran has said this many, many times and it has been confirmed by international organisations."
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