CIA tortured me, says Iranian diplomat

Iranian state television today showed hospital images of the Iranian diplomat who has accused the CIA of torturing him during his detention in Iraq.

State TV also reported that the Iraqi ambassador to Iran and an official from the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Jalal Sharafi in hospital.

Sharafi was shown in a hospital bed with injuries to his right foot, while Iraqi ambassador Majid Sheikh and Peter Stocker from the International Committee of the Red Cross examined him.

During the examination, the voice of a doctor could be heard describing how Sharafi had been beaten by a cable during his detention. Claims of torture have not been independently verified.

Earlier in the week, Sharafi's doctors reported that holes had been drilled into his foot, but the TV images were not clear enough to indicate whether the small, red marks on his foot were indeed holes.

Doctors also reported that he had suffered a broken nose, serious injuries to his back, bleeding in his digestive system, and damage to his ears.

A spokeswoman for the ICRC in Tehran, Katayoun Hosseinnejad, confirmed the visit took place.