Osama daughter free to leave Iran: Minister

Tehran, Dec 26 : The daughter of al Qaeda chief Bin Laden is now in Iran and she is free to leave after her identity is verified, the country has confirmed.

The Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki stated that the Saudi Embassy in Tehran informed the Iranian authorities that one of Bin Laden's daughters is present at the embassy and wants to leave the country.

Mottaki stated that he is unaware of how she entered Iran and indicated that "she can leave Iran when her identity is verified."

Bin Laden's 17-year-old daughter, Iman (or Eman), reportedly went to the embassy after eluding guards in Tehran, media reports said.

Iman was allegedly under house arrest there, along with her sister and four brothers, for eight years.

On a television talk show, Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, said the government had no idea that Eman was in the country until being contacted by the embassy, reports CCTV.

He said that, if Iranian authorities are able to confirm the young woman's identity, she would be free to leave the country.

Earlier, the daughter of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has told Asharq Al-Awsat, a leading Arabic English daily, via her brother Omar Bin Laden, that she has missed her mother, Najwa Ghanem, greatly.

Najwa Ghanem is a Syrian woman who is the first wife and first cousin of Osama bin Laden.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki verified the validity of the story Asharq Al-Awsat broke last Wednesday with regards to the presence of one of Osama Bin Laden's daughters in Iran.

Iman Bin Laden emphasised her faith in God to Asharq Al-Awsat, indicating that comfort from God will come soon and that He will not let her perish. She has confidence that the prayers she has made continuously at night for God to lessen the ordeal that her and her siblings are going through will be answered.

Iman said she has found goodwill and generosity in the officials at the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, as they are making a difficult situation easier for her, the paper reported.

She indicated that "those officials are not making me feel like a stranger but rather [they are treating me] like one of their daughters."