Iraqi insurgents have taken an Iranian diplomat hostage, the Arab-language Al-Arabiya TV channel reported Sunday.

A footage aired by the channel showed a bearded man, his passport and a business card which identified him as Fraidoun Jihani, "consul for the Islamic Republic of Iran in Karbala."

Nine identification cards were also shown in the footage, but they could not be easily read.

The kidnappers, calling themselves the "Islamic Army in Iraq," said in a statement that Jihani was accused of provoking sectarian war in Iraq, the channel reported.

They warned Iran not to interfere in Iraq's affairs, the report said.

It was not clear whether the kidnappers had any demands or whether they threatened to kill Jihani.

Jihani was the second senior diplomat taken hostage in Iraq in recent weeks.

Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb, an Egyptian diplomat, was abducted in July 23 outside a mosque in Baghdad and freed unharmed on July 26.

Source: Xinhua