Baghdad Baghdad accused the U.S. Navy Friday of having intercepted an Iraqi cargo ship in Iraq's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf last month, and urged the United Nations to intervene to stop such "violations".

In a message addressed to the United Nations and published in newspapers, Iraq said two U.S. warships, with a helicopter in support, intercepted the vessel as it left an Iraqi port where it had unloaded its cargo.

"The cargo ship was seized and its crew quizzed. It was then taken 10 nautical miles from Mina al-Bakr before being released after a three-and-a-half hour interrogation," the message said.

The interception was a "flagrant violation of Iraq's sovereignty and a hostile armed act," it said, calling on the United Nations to "intervene to stop such violations."

Iraq "reserved the right to take all necessary measures to defend itself," it warned.

A U.S.-led multinational fleet patrols Persian Gulf waters to ensure Iraq abides by the embargo in force since its August 1990 invasion of Kuwait, AFP reported.