By NNN-KUNA
Washington : US officials have agreed to new talks with Iranian officials about issues concerning security in Iraq, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
“We have communicated to the Iranian government that we are agreeable to that,” McCormack said during a department briefing Tuesday.
“We have not yet received back a reply, either directly or via the Iraqis.” Iraqi officials approached US and Iranian officials to suggest that it was the appropriate time for US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart to hold such talks, McCormack said.
“We said yes, that we would agree to that,” McCormack said, but no date has been set for the talks.
Asked about reports from US military commanders that there seem to be less attacks in Iraq that can be linked to Iran, McCormack said he was unsure of all the reasons for reduced violence in Iraq.
The US military has made it much more difficult for Iranian elements or militias to operate in Iraq, he said.
There is “some value and some worth in keeping this channel (to Iran) open and continuing to be open to having these meetings,” McCormack said. “We will see over time what the result is.”