Iranian Diplomat Gunned Down in Baghdad

BAGHDAD - A high-ranking Iranian diplomat was assassinated in Baghdad on Thursday, the Iraqi foreign ministry said.

Khalil Naimi, first secretary of the Iranian Embassy, was killed when gunmen opened fire on his car near the embassy. His car had diplomatic plates, but nothing identifying it as an Iranian vehicle.

It's unclear whether Naimi's death is connected to Iran's efforts at mediating the standoff between U.S. forces and radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the man at the centre of recent violence in Najaf.

Hussein Sedeqi, a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official, headed a delegation to Najaf earlier in the day on Thursday to hold talks with al-Sadr. Iran is trying to avoid an attack on Najaf, the holiest Shia city.