hmmm...TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- An Iranian diplomat, freed this week after being abducted in Iraq, accused the CIA of torturing him during his two-month detention, Iranian state television reported Saturday.
Jalal Sharafi, who was freed on Tuesday, said the CIA questioned him about Iran's relations with Iraq and assistance to various Iraqi groups, according to state television.
"Once they heard my response that Iran merely has official relations with the Iraqi government and officials, they intensified tortures and tortured me through different methods days and nights," state TV quoted him as saying.
A U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the CIA vehemently denies any role in the capture or release of Sharafi. The official dismissed any claims of torture, saying "the CIA does not conduct or condone torture."
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He said they took him to a base near Baghdad airport and interrogated him in both Arabic and English, questioning him mainly about Iran's influence in Iraq and assistance to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government and Iraqi groups. Sharafi did not provide additional details about his captors or their nationalities.
U.S. officials allege that Iran provides money and weapons to Iraqi Shiite militias.
After the initial interrogation, Sharafi said that his captors "softened their behavior and showed leniency to encourage" him to cooperate.
"I explained I was unable to do anything outside my legal responsibilities," Sharafi was quoted as saying. "Later, they released me under pressure from Iraqi government officials. They dropped me near the back of the airport."
His release came a day before Iran freed the 15 British sailors, raising speculation that it was part of a deal to liberate the Britons. Both London and Tehran have denied any links between the two events.
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