Iran rejects West claims on abducted Iranians in Syria

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has dismissed Western media allegations about abducted Iranian engineers and pilgrims in Syria, saying such efforts are solely meant to distract public opinion.

Certain foreign media showed military service discharge cards of the kidnapped Iranians and claimed such documents revealed the abductees’ military affiliation, Salehi told reporters on Sunday.

These are improper moves which are aimed at distracting the world public opinion; the real purpose behind spreading such propaganda will be uncovered soon, he added.

Iran’s top diplomat noted that Syrian officials have vowed to adopt measures to have the Iranians released. Salehi also emphasized that the abducted engineers and pilgrims are in good health, and expressed hope they would be released in the near future.

At least eleven Iranian pilgrims were kidnapped on a road connecting the Syrian city of Hama to the capital, Damascus, on February 1.

This is not the first time that Iranians have become the target of abduction by unknown gunmen in Syria over the recent months.

On January 26, a group of unidentified armed men attacked a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims on a road connecting Damascus to the northwestern city of Aleppo. They kidnapped 11 men and drove off to an unknown destination. Their whereabouts still remain unknown.

Five Iranian electrical engineers were also kidnapped by unknown gunmen in the restive Syrian city of Homs on December 21, 2011. The group of engineers was abducted en route to the 450-MW power plant they were involved in building in Homs and are still in captivity.

Later, two other Iranians, who were trying to obtain information about the missing men, were also kidnapped, and their location remains unknown.