DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Eleven kidnapped Iranians in Syria have been released but 18 others are being held hostage, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian said the kidnappers wanted to pressure Tehran to abandon its support for the Syrian government, facing an 11-month revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Iran is one of Syria's closest and most powerful regional allies.
"We will continue our serious support for the Syrian people and President Assad within the framework of his reform programme and in fighting foreign intervention and terrorism," he said at a news conference in Damascus.
Abdollahian declined to say how the 11 Iranians were freed.
"Luckily, efforts here have gained the release of 11 Iranians kidnapped and there are continued efforts to get the release of 11 other Iranian visitors who crossed into Syria by land," he said. "Efforts are also ongoing to secure the release of seven engineers."
Last month, Syrian rebels released video of seven men they said were Iranian soldiers. The authenticity of the video was impossible to verify.
