Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Thursday that the abducted Iranians in Syria are from all walks of life.

Some of the abducted Iranians may have retired from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) or from other Iranian governmental departments, said Salehi in a press conference after a meeting on Syria in Tehran.

A total of 48 Iranian pilgrims were abducted last Saturday by militants in the Syrian capital Damascus.

Every year, a large number of Iranian pilgrims visit Syria, Salehi said, adding that during the Syrian unrest Iran had stopped allowing the pilgrims to visit Syria.

Recently, as the situation in Syria gradually became quiet, Iran resumed to send pilgrims to the Arab state, said Salehi.

According to media reports, Syrian opposition claimed that the abducted Iranians were members of the Iranian army and IRGC.?