Iraqi FM calls WikiLeaks 'unhelpful'

BAGHDAD – Iraq's foreign minister has criticized the leak of thousands of American diplomatic cables that detail U.S. concerns over Iranian involvement in Iraq.

Hoshyar Zebari declined to comment on the specific content of the leaks but called them "unhelpful and untimely."

The release of more than 250,000 classified State Department documents has posed an embarrassment for American diplomatic officials.

The documents, which were shared with the New York Times, the British newspaper the Guardian as well as other news outlets, detail concerns by U.S. officials in Baghdad about Iran's influence on the nascent democracy.

In one cable posted online by the Guardian, U.S. diplomats describe how Iran spends millions of dollars annually to Iraqi surrogates.