Iran's foreign ministry said Sunday it still had no clue as to who assassinated one of its diplomats in Baghdad, and that it had formally requested the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council to see that security was reinforced around its embassy there.
"We still have no clue who assassinated our diplomat, but surely those who thrive on Iraq's instability had something to do with it," said foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.
On Thursday the first secretary at the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, Khalil Naimi, was gunned down a day after Tehran sent what had been initially presented as a peace mission to help end a stand-off between US forces and militant Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr.
"We have asked the Iraqi Governing Council to heighten security around our embassy and to protect our diplomats there," Asefi said.
He also reiterated assertions that Iran did not wish to mediate in Iraq, despite suggestions to that effect made last week by Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi and state media.
"The mission did not intend to mediate, since you cannot mediate between the occupiers and a nation which is sacrificing a lot," Asefi said.
"We have limited influence with extremist Shiite groups, we only give our views and we do not have anything to do with their final decision," he asserted.
When asked why the Iranian mission in Iraq last week was unable to meet with Sadr or top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Asefi said: "Our fact finding mission was not able to meet with Sadr or Sistani because of the security issues."