A US official said a second round of rare talks between Iran and the United States was not expected in Baghdad on Mohe dialogue on Iraqi security was about to resume. Tehran and Washington held a first round of direct talks on Iraq's stability in Baghdad on May 28.
Iranian and Iraqi officials had said that a second round of talks between the two would take place soon, without specifying a date. "After a series of ups and downs, Iran and America's ambassadors will hold talks about Iraq on Monday in Baghdad," Iran's Hamshahri newspaper said on Sunday, quoting an unidentified official.
However, a US embassy spokesman in Baghdad said the embassy was not expecting a second round on Monday, adding that any further information would come from Washington.
Officials in the Iraqi capital believe the talks could be held later this week. Asked about the newspaper report, Iran's government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said: "I cannot point out a date ... Everyone will be informed when the talks start."
Iran's Foreign Ministry also said the date of a second round of talks "was not clear yet". "Iran has accepted this request (of the Iraqi government) to resolve the Iraqi nation's problems," spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told a weekly news conference. The May discussions covered security in Iraq and both US and Iranian officials say Iraqi issues, not other disputes, would be the focus of any further talks.
The newspaper said Iran's top envoy to Iraq Hassan Kazemi-Qomi will lead the Iranian delegation for the fresh round of talks with his US counterpart, Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
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