Iraq weighs talks with Iran, U.S.

GENEVA, Switzerland, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Baghdad is weighing the possibilities of holding trilateral talks with the United States and Iran to discuss the situation in Iraq, officials said.

Iranian officials have expressed interest recently, suggesting they would be open to a fourth round of talks on Iraq with U.S. officials, Iran's Fars News Agency said. Though Washington has not had formal diplomatic relations with Tehran in nearly 30 years, U.S. and Iranian negotiators held talks three times in 2007 to discuss Iraq.

"We are ready to resume these talks, provided that both sides will agree to that," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said at a weekend security conference in Geneva.

Iranian officials in the Foreign Ministry said Monday they would wait for word from Baghdad before expressing further interest in the talks.

"If conditions are suitable, the Iraqi government would be delighted to resume these talks," Zebari said.

Tehran has maintained its position that a U.S. troop withdrawal was the only way to bring peace to Iraq, though it has not ruled out cooperating with U.S. officials in Baghdad.

The U.N. envoy to Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, visited Tehran last week, calling on Iran to support the U.N. mission in Iraq.