Mottaki referred to Ban's report last November on ceasefire resolution 1701 that ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006 and in which Ban "highlighted" their case.

In that report Ban said "while the exchange of letters on mission Israeli airman Ron Arad and the four Iranian citizens who disappeared in Beirut in 1982 was helpful, I remain convinced that more could be done to finally resolve these cases, which are now more than 20 years old. The UN stands ready to help in any way that it can".

In light of that report, Mottaki wrote in his letter "Given the expression of readiness by the UN, as mentioned in your report to play a more active role in addressin this issue, I wish to request that a speical commission be established ... to investigate the case of the abducted Iranian diplomats and to determine their fate".

He added "I wish to welcome the readiness of the UN to help in addressing this issue, which is of great humanitarian significance".

Mottaki recalled that the Iranian Mission to the UN already provided information regarding the circumstances surrounding the abduction, including the perpetrators who were involved.