Iran on Monday categorically rejected some claims made by an Iraqi minister that Iran was involved in the hostage taking event in the central Iraqi town of Madaen, terming them as "baseless and ridiculous", the official IRNA news agency reported.

"What has happened in the Iraqi city of Madaen is suspicious and Iran strongly condemns it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi was quoted as saying.

A group of armed men on Friday purportedly took more than 100 Iraqi Shiites as hostage in Madaen and threatened to kill them unless all of the Shiites leave the city, but the latest report said that the number of the hostages was exaggerated.

Iraqi Interior Minister Falah Hassan al-Naqib said earlier Monday that Iran was involved in Madaen hostage taking event.

Dismissing the claim, Asefi said that Naqib's claims were baseless and ridiculous and he had "made his comments out of his personal intention to show off".

On Sunday, Asefi condemned the hostage taking, saying that Tehran was against any act against innocent and ordinary citizens.

Source: Xinhua