Sharafi

I watched a man die here, said Salah Sharafi, referring to Awadh Al-Surihi, shot dead by pro-Saleh loyalists last week.

Yemen leader says U.S., Israel behind unrest 2011

Following his release, Sharafi claimed to have been tortured "day and night" by American soldiers.

Ian Bremmer: Tehran in No Mood for Compromise 2008

It remains unclear who held Sharafi, but official Iraqi help in securing his release suggests Iran knows it can exert pressure to get what it wants from Baghdad.

Ian Bremmer: Tehran in No Mood for Compromise 2008

An action like the Sharafi abduction allows the signal to be sent, while still falling short of mounting overt military strikes against Iran -- something for which the United States currently has little appetite or resources.

U.S.-Iranian Tensions and an Abduction in Baghdad 2007

At this point, this much is clear: No matter who is actually responsible for the Sharafi abduction, it will further heighten U.S.

U.S.-Iranian Tensions and an Abduction in Baghdad 2007

While a U.S. embassy spokesman, in Iraq, repeatedly insists that the U.S. had no part in the abduction, or detention of the Iranian diplomat, bear in mind that legislation passed by Congress, last year, the Military Commissions Act, allows for what it calls "alternative interrogation techniques," some of which may well have been used by those holding Sharafi.

Famous Last Words 2007

The Sharafi abduction seems designed to enhance Tehran's sense of vulnerability, and hence to fuel disagreements among those in Iran who feel the United States is at a weak point and those who warn that the United States is most dangerous at its weakest.

U.S.-Iranian Tensions and an Abduction in Baghdad 2007

Another point to consider is that Sharafi -- as an official with diplomatic immunity -- could not be held in detention for long under normal measures.

U.S.-Iranian Tensions and an Abduction in Baghdad 2007

Therefore, even if the United States didn't order the Sharafi operation, it still fits into a pattern of warnings that the Americans have been issuing.

U.S.-Iranian Tensions and an Abduction in Baghdad 2007

The Sunnis in Iraq -- both the nationalists and the jihadists -- have reasons of their own to abduct an Iranian official, and hence could have seized Sharafi as part of a completely independent operation.

U.S.-Iranian Tensions and an Abduction in Baghdad 2007