TEHRAN -- In a meeting with Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Hamud, Iranian Foreign Minister held the U.S. responsible for the raid on the Iranian consulate in Irbil and said that Baghdad is responsible to obtain release of the Iranian diplomats.

Hamud also stated that obtaining release of the Iranian diplomats is a spiritual duty of the Iraqi government and Iraqi officials would take every necessary action to put an end to this problem.

U.S. troops stormed the Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on January 11 and arrested five diplomats under the pretext that they were fomenting violence in Iraq.

Pointing out that Iran has a strong desire to strengthen ties with Iraq, Mottaki said an expanded consular cooperation is necessary due to the fact that many Iranians and Iraqis are interested in visiting the sacred shrines of the two countries.

Lauding the inauguration of the Iraqi Consulate in the holy city of Mashhad, Mottaki expressed hope that this would solve some of the pilgrims’ problems.