Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tuesday that the Yemeni government is responsible for the safety of an Iranian diplomat recently kidnapped in the country, Press TV reported.

Thanking the Yemeni authorities for their efforts to identify the kidnappers, Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that the work of Yemeni government would soon yield results and lead to the release of Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, the abducted diplomat.

Following a telephone conversation between Iran's foreign minister and his Yemeni counterpart on Sunday, Yemen's Foreign Ministry set up a task group to pursue the case, Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying.

Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Yemeni charge d'affaires to Tehran on Sunday to convey the Islamic republic's concern over the fate of Nikbakht.

The Iranian diplomat was reportedly kidnapped by unknown gunmen while travelling in the diplomatic zone in southern Sanaa on Sunday.