Iran urged the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to form a fact-finding committee to determine the fate of the four Iranian diplomats who went missing in Lebanon.

Iran Press/Iran news: Marking the commemoration anniversary of the kidnapped diplomats in Lebanon Iran's foreign ministry, highlighted, "Today, July 5, 37 years have been passed from the kidnapping of four diplomats of our country Seyyed Mohsen Mousavi, Ahmad Motevasselian, Kazem Akhavan and Taqi Rastegar Moghaddam by the mercenaries of Zionist regime at the checkpoint in northern Lebanon in 1982."

Part of the statement noted, "As announced during these years, evidence suggests that the kidnapped diplomats in Lebanon were handed over to the Zionist occupying forces and subsequently transferred to the occupied territories, and are now in the prisons of this illegitimate regime," IRNA reported.

Accordingly, and given the occupation of Lebanon at that time by the Zionist regime with full support from the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran regards political and legal responsibility for kidnapping this terrorist act to the Zionist regime and its supporters.

Unfortunately, despite the passage of many years of this criminal and terrorist activities, the international community and human rights organizations have not taken any serious action on this crime, and the Zionist regime, which continues its crimes and acts that violate the international laws by US support is refraining from accepting responsibility for this issue."

In the statement, the Foreign Ministry hailed Lebanese government's cooperation and efforts to determine the fate of the four diplomats, including sending a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General in September 2008, in which the kidnapping of Iranian diplomats was emphasized, further calls on the Lebanese authorities, as well as the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Red Cross, and other international bodies to fulfill their intrinsic, legal and humanitarian duty to pursue the case. 101/208