Iranian Says He Was Tortured in Iraq

Iranian diplomat Jalal Sharafi, 40, in a wheelchair answers a question during a news conference at Iran's Foreign Ministry in Tehran, Iran Wednesday, April. 11, 2007. The Iranian diplomat has accused the CIA of torturing him during his detention in Iraq. Claims of torture have not been independently verified. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian) (Hasan Sarbakhshian - AP)

TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian diplomat showed off wounds on his feet Wednesday, and said they were inflicted by drills during two months of detention in Iraq. He said he was harshly interrogated by an American official when he refused to cooperate.

The U.S. has denied any role in the capture of Jalal Sharafi, the second secretary at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, who was seized by gunmen in Baghdad on Feb. 4. Tehran has said he was taken by an Iraqi military unit commanded by U.S. forces _ an accusation repeated by several Iraqi Shiite lawmakers.

The comments by Sharafi came as Iran stepped up complaints over its personnel detained in Iraq, hinting that it might boycott an international conference on Iraq unless American forces release five Iranians detained in a January raid.

Sharafi, speaking to reporters in his first appearance since his release April 3, said he was taken by men who at first pretended to be militants but later told him they were with Iraqi intelligence.

Sitting in a wheelchair and speaking in a weak voice, Sharafi showed reporters nine partially healed holes in his ankle and foot he said were caused by a drill. Shiite militiamen _ some connected to Iraqi security forces _ have been known to torture captives with drills.

"They tied my feet and hands and lashed my soles hundreds of times with cables and kicked and punched me," said Sharafi, who also showed traces of slash marks on his back. "They performed mock executions while my eyes were blindfolded and my hands and feet were bound." He said the drill torture occurred early in his captivity, and beatings took place throughout.

Dr. Ali Sharifi, a psychiatrist, said Sharafi showed symptoms of sensory and sleep deprivation.

Peter G. Stocker, an official from the International Committee of the Red Cross who examined Sharafi on Wednesday, told The Associated Press his wounds "happened during his detention." Stocker could not say who caused them.

Sharafi said he was questioned several times by an American who told him "he was in charge of my case and was in direct contact with the American Embassy."

"The English-speaking man threatened to kill me by bites of wild dogs," said the 40-year-old diplomat, referring to the American. "The American began with a soft attitude at first. But he turned harsh when he could not get any cooperation from me."

Sharafi said his captors questioned him about the other five detained Iranians and asked him what groups Iran supports. "They wanted me to confess that Iran intervenes in Iraq's domestic affairs and was a threat to the countries of the region," he said.

On Saturday, Iranian state TV quoted Sharafi as saying the CIA was involved in his interrogation. He did not specify CIA involvement in his comments Wednesday.