TEHRAN, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Iran Sunday urged its citizens not to visit Iraq because it is not safe for Iranians anymore.
The warning followed the abduction of an Iranian diplomat earlier Sunday from the road connecting the Shiite holy city of Karbala to Baghdad. Fereydun Jihani was appointed Iranian consul at Karbala last Wednesday.
According to an Arabic television channel, al-Arabia, a group called the Islamic Army in Iraq said Jihani was kidnapped because he was fanning sectarian clashes in Iraq. The group also warned Iran not to interfere in Iraq's affairs.
Jihani is the second senior diplomat kidnapped in Iraq in last two weeks. An Egyptian diplomat, Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb, was abducted on July 23 and later freed on July 26.
More than 70 foreigners have been seized in Iraq so far.
A statement issued in Tehran said Iraq is no longer safe for Iranians and urged Iranian citizens not to visit Shiite holy places in Iraq. Iran also asked the Iraqi government not to issue visas to Iranians.
