In its latest human rights report, the U.S. State Department says Azeri-Iranians report “ethnic and linguistic discrimination, including banning Azeri language in schools, harassing Azeri activists or organizations,” and the jailing of a number of people “for advocating cultural and language rights for Iranian Azerbaijanis.” The U.S. has called on the government of Iran to respect the rights of all Iranians and release those imprisoned for attempting to exercise those rights.

The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government.

The Iranians would not even have stayed the night in the compound except, in a situation faced by many Baghdad residents, their business lasted beyond the early-evening curfew and they were forced to spend the night, Mr. Qumi said.

Mr. Qumi also warned the United States against playing out tensions in what he called “the nuclear file” in Iraq. “We don’t need Iraq to pay the cost of our animosity with the Americans,” Mr. Qumi said.

As the interview was breaking up, Mr. Qumi made one last stab