Armed men have kidnapped an Iranian diplomat who was driving his car in the Yemen capital, Sanaa, according to security officials.

An official said the men stopped the diplomat's car early today and forced him into their car before speeding away. The diplomat's name has not been disclosed but the incident is under investigation.

Yemen president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has warned that the al Qaida branch in the country is using assassinations and abductions of foreigners as a way to challenge the central government's authority.

In Tehran, a Yemeni diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to receive a formal protest, according to reports.

It said Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called his Yemeni counterpart.

Salehi condemned the kidnapping and called for serious action by Yemeni government to free the Iranian diplomat, the report said.

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