What happens when the US is supposed to have let the local Iraqi police/troops handle their own problems, but instead arrest Iranian diplomats? Much anger leading to release of the diplomats.

On December 21, US forces did a raid in Baghdad, and arrested two Iranian officials.

The New York Times on Sunday reported that the US military arrested at least four Iranians in Baghdad last week, including senior military officials accused of planning attacks on Iraqi army and security forces.

Citing senior Iraqi and US officials in Baghdad, the newspaper said the raids were aimed at people suspected of conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces.

They were diplomats who had been invited by Kurd Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president, who was unhappy at the US.

Jalal Talabani, Iraq 's president, also complained. His media adviser said the arrested Iranians were diplomats not military officials and were invited by Iraq for talks.

Hiwa Uthman said: "The president is unhappy and he is talking with the Americans about it."

Iran confirmed that the diplomats seized by the US military had been invited by the Iraqi government.

How were they arrested?

He said: "Sources close to the Iranian government told me that the five Iranians including two diplomats were visiting Buratha mosque in Baghdad on Thursday morning. They left the mosque heading to the Iranian embassy."

The mosque is revered by Shia Muslims.

Al-Bahrani said the men were arrested by US forces as they passed through an area controlled by Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri).

On Monday, the US said it was going to wait for results of a probe. Interesting to note that the charges seem to be "meddling in Iraqi affairs". Um.. not weapons? If one was going to arrest a target for meddling in Iraqi affairs, wouldn't the US be first on the list?

The White House said on Monday it will wait for results of a probe into two Iranians arrested in neighbouring Iraq before judging whether they confirm Iranian meddling in Iraqi affairs.

US forces in Iraq arrested the pair after releasing two other Iranians who had diplomatic immunity.

The White House declined to reveal the nature of charges against the detainees, but cited Iranian "meddling" in Iraqi affairs.

"We suspect this event validates our claims about Iranian meddling, but we want to finish our investigation of the detained Iranians before characterising their activities," White House spokesperson Alex Conant said.

Today they were released. It appears that the US must have been wrong to arrest diplomats who were invited by the president of Iraq to join him.

Hasan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's ambassador to Iraq,