U.S. Raid On The Iranian Liaison Office in Arbil

U.S. Raid On The Iranian Liaison Office In Arbil

The US raid on the Iranian Liaison Office in Arbil refers to the events of 11 January 2007 when the US military raided the Iranian Liaison Office (which was in the process of becoming accredited as an officially recognized consulate) in Arbil, Iraq, ostensibly to detain two senior Iranian officials but capturing five mid-level diplomats instead. The US government's position is that the office was used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a local headquarters. However, both Iranian and Kurdish Autonomous Region officials state that it was a diplomatic mission in the city of Arbil (Irbil) in Iraqi Kurdistan.

On July 9, 2009, US authorities released the five diplomats (Mohsen Bagheri, Mahmoud Farhadi, Majid Ghaemi, Majid Dagheri and Abbas Jami), after more than two and a half years imprisonment. The US said this action was required under the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement.