BAGHDAD, Sept 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. military on Thursday arrested an Iranian man they accused of smuggling roadside bombs into Iraq and training foreign fighters, but Iraqi and Iranian officials said he was a member of a trade delegation.
U.S. soldiers raided a hotel in Sulaimaniya in the northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan and took the man into custody, accusing him of being a member of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The latest detention by U.S. forces of an Iranian in Iraq will likely heighten tensions between Washington and Tehran, already strained over earlier arrests and Iran’s nuclear programme.
"Contrary to recent diplomatic initiatives, this individual has been involved in transporting improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators into Iraq," the U.S. military said in a statement.
"Intelligence reports also indicate he was involved in the infiltration and training of foreign terrorists in Iraq."
