Tehran, Dec 21, IRNA -- Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Tim Goldimann who represents US interests in Iran was summoned to Foreign Ministry here Saturday to receive a protest against the behavior of US police with Iranians living in the United States.

Foreign Ministry's Director for Consular Affairs Qolam Reza Ansari voiced Iranian government's strong objections against the American police behavior regarding the Iranians residing in the US.

Ansari told Goldimann that US police behavior in arresting and incarcerating Iranians, "ostensibly over breaking immigration laws is unacceptable and in direct contravention of all the accepted international norms of behavior."

"Iranians have always abided by the US laws and regulations and have been a model of behavior among the minority groups in the US," Ansari remarked.

He also alluded to the need for reconsidering the US government and police of such inhuman policies and reform of US behavior vis-a-vie immigrant Iranians and others who have traveled to the country legally.

The Swiss ambassador expressed surprise on behavior by US police and pledged to follow up on Iran's strong objections to the US government, the Foreign Ministry information and press office reported.

Earlier on Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi described as 'insulting' US new immigration measures which have led to widespread detention of Middle Eastern nationals, mostly Iranians.

Asefi described the measure as 'unacceptable', saying it was not justified by any international standards.

US immigration lawyers have estimated that at least 500 Middle Eastern immigrants, mostly Iranians, have been detained in California since Monday when male visa holders were asked to report to local immigration offices to be fingerprinted and photographed.

"The American government has put violence, threat and pressure on the agenda of its foreign policy. It has taken measures against those Iranians who, in American officials' own words, are among the elite and educated of that country," Asefi said.

"This step of the American government contradicts international conventions on civil rights and Iran's Foreign Ministry regrets it," he added.

Asefi stressed that his ministry maintains its policy of seriously defending rights of Iranian nationals in every part of the globe.

The press Saturday also quoted editors of several Iranian newspapers as having sent a message to their American counterparts, in which they have condemned US officials' 'inappropriate measures' in detaining their countrymen.