Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen – Gunmen on Sunday kidnapped an Iranian diplomat who was driving his car in the capital, Sanaa, a Yemeni official said. Iran condemned the abduction.

The official said armed men stopped the diplomat’s car and forced him into their vehicle before speeding away. He did not disclose the diplomat’s name or any further details, saying the incident is under investigation.

In Tehran, a Yemeni diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to receive a formal protest, Iranian state TV reported. It said Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called his Yemeni counterpart.

Salehi condemned the kidnapping and called for serious action by Yemeni government to free the Iranian diplomat, the TV report said, without identifying him.

Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has demanded in the past that Iran’s leadership stop meddling in his country, a warning repeated by Washington.