An Iranian diplomat has been kidnapped in Baghdad. An Iranian government spokesperson said the diplomat, Jalal Sharafi, was seized by gunmen linked to the Iraqi Defense Ministry. Iran condemned the kidnapping and said it held the United States responsible for his life. Iraqi officials earlier said the gunmen were wearing uniforms of the Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion, a special Iraqi unit under U.S. direction. The diplomat was seized on Sunday night outside of the Baghdad branch of an Iranian state-owned bank. Last month, U.S. forces arrested five Iranians during a predawn raid on the Iranian Consulate in Erbil in northern Iraq. President Bush recently authorized U.S. troops in Iraq to kill or capture Iranian agents deemed to be a threat.