The United States does not intend to release the five Iranians captured by U.S. forces in Iraq in January, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

"Well, I think there's no inclination right now to let them go," Gates said at a Pentagon news briefing.

He said that Iraqi and U.S. officials were discussing if there was some way to allow Iranian access to the five people, but "as far as I know, there's no requirement for that and there's no plan or intention to turn them back."

U.S. forces arrested the five Iranians in January in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, and accused them of being members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Iran has said the five were diplomats working in Iraq.

Source: Xinhua