Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The Iranian government rejected U.S. claims that it's interfering in Iraq and insisted that five consular officials detained by American forces aren't terrorists.

All activities at the consulate raided in northern Iraq last week are ``legal, official and endorsed by Iraqi officials,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said yesterday in Tehran, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

``The U.S. intends to make the atmosphere more radical, but the Islamic Republic of Iran will pursue the case wisely through diplomatic channels,'' Hosseini said.

President George W. Bush's administration accuses Iran and Syria of helping fuel the insurgency in Iraq by supplying weapons and allowing terrorists to cross borders. Bush announced plans last week to send an additional 21,500 soldiers and Marines to Iraq and warned the two countries that the U.S. will ``seek out and destroy the networks'' supporting the insurgents.

``We will take measures to protect ourselves,'' Bush said in an interview aired late yesterday by CBS's ``60 Minutes'' program. ``If they are, in fact, in Iraq killing Americans, they'll be brought to justice.''

U.S. forces detained six people in Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish north on Jan. 11 and seized documents and computers. Five Iranians remain in custody, the U.S. military said in a statement yesterday.

Revolutionary Guard

Preliminary investigations revealed the detainees belong to a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard ``known for providing funds, weapons, improvised explosive device technology and training to extremist groups attempting to destabilize the government of Iraq and attack coalition forces,'' according to the e-mailed statement. The building where they were arrested did not have the ``diplomatic status'' of a consular office, the military said.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari appealed for their release and said in an interview yesterday with Cable News Network the office had been operating for several years, offering consular services and travel permits.

Iraq understands and supports Bush's strategy of tackling the flow of arms and fighters into the country, Zebari said.

``On the other hand, the Iraqi government is committed to cultivate good neighborly relations with these two countries and to engage them constructively in security cooperation,'' he told CNN, adding that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, yesterday ``for that purpose.''

Damascus Talks

Syria is committed to helping the political process in Iraq, President Bashar al-Assad said yesterday following talks with Talabani, the official SANA news agency reported.

``The security of both countries is mutual and anything that harms one of them harms the other,'' SANA cited Assad as saying.

Talabani also visited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in November.

Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday the U.S. will do what it must to prevent Iran from threatening Iraq's stability.

Iran ``is fishing in troubled waters'' and has provided explosives to insurgents in Iraq, Cheney said in an interview with Fox News.

Iranian activities threaten the stability of Iraq and ``endanger'' U.S. forces, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said two days ago in Jerusalem.

Hosseini rejected Rice's comments and said U.S. officials ``raised such issues to justify their incorrect and unwise performance in Iraq,'' IRNA reported.

U.S. forces won't cross the border into Iran or Syria to tackle networks sending arms and fighters to Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace told lawmakers in Washington on Jan. 12.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ed Johnson in Sydney at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 14, 2007 22:51 EST