FIVE IRANIAN DETAINEES HELD BY U.S. ALLOWED VISITORS FOR FIRST TIME

It's about time. The United States has allowed visits in recent days for the first time to the five Iranian diplomats imprisoned since last January when there were picked up in Irbil. The BBC reports that the Iranian Ambassador to Iraq and associates were able for the first time to visit the five detainees.

"The five have been detained by the US military in northern Iraq since they were captured in Irbil in January.

"Three Iranian diplomats including the ambassador in Baghdad visited the five detainees in Iraq," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said."

Perhaps this relaxation of harsh policy by the U.S. will be a first step in Iran releasing its three captive Iranian-Americans, including 67-year old scholar, Haleh Esfandiari. See my post on this Iranian detention of visiting Iranian- Americans here and here.

Writes the BBC today:

"Mr Zebari said he hoped the visit would help pave the way for further talks between the US and Iran, after a landmark meeting in May."

The capture and detention by the U.S. military of the five Iranians in Irbil has exacerbated relations between the United States and Iran. Back in May, V.P. Cheney prevailed on Bush to keep the Iranians captive even though it was then clear there was no evidence that they had been doing anything wrong in Iraq. I believe it was a clear provocation against Iran, as if throwing down the gauntlet, or kicking dust in Iran's face. As if Cheney wanted to provoke Iran to take some action that would allow the U.S. to justify shooting some missiles or dropping some bombs on Teheran.

The BBC comments:

"The detention of the five raised tension between the US and Iran, which has demanded that the men be released.

"It also caused arguments between the White House and the State Department over their continued captivity.

"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reportedly argued for the five Iranians to be released because they were "no longer useful". "