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US and Iran to hold second talks US and Iran to hold second talks
(about 17 hours later)
Iran and the US are to hold fresh talks on the subject of Iraq, only their second one-on-one meeting in decades. Senior officials from the US and Iran are set to hold fresh talks on the security situation in Iraq, only their second bilateral meeting in 27 years.
Their two ambassadors in Baghdad will meet on Tuesday, it was announced. The US envoy to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, will meet in Baghdad.
The meeting will be a follow-up to the ground-breaking talks held on 28 May.
The US blames Iran for supporting some of those who are attacking US and UK troops in Iraq, while Iran blames the US troop presence for Iraq's troubles.The US blames Iran for supporting some of those who are attacking US and UK troops in Iraq, while Iran blames the US troop presence for Iraq's troubles.
Officially the talks are only meant to deal with Iraq, but our correspondent in Tehran says there is big range of issues each side would like to raise. The insurgency and related sectarian violence in Iraq is causing thousands of deaths every month.
For example, the United States is concerned about two Iranian Americans held in Iran, the BBC's Jon Leyne says, while Iran wants the release of five Iranians held in Iraq. 'Change in behaviour'
The insurgency in Iraq and related sectarian violence cause thousands of deaths every month. On Monday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met separately with the two ambassadors to urge them to work together to improve his country's security.
More than 200 US soldiers have been killed by armour piercing bombs which the US says have been manufactured in Iran or using Iranian-imported expertise. However, ahead of the talks the US and Iran continued to blame each other for the situation.
Little emerged from the first round of talks in May between US ambassador Ryan Crocker and Iran's Hassan Kazimi Qomi. We are going to raise the need for Iran to match its actions with its words in seeking strategic stability in Iraq Sean McCormackUS State Department Spokesman class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/3362443.stm">Timeline: US-Iran ties
The US broke off relations with Iran in 1980 when Islamic revolutionaries seized the US embassy in Tehran and held diplomats hostage. US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said Tehran had not taken any steps to bring about a stable Iraq since the talks in May.
Tuesday's meeting will be hosted by the Iraqi government, whose Shia Muslim leaders have close links with Iran. Mr McCormack said US intelligence showed Iran was continuing to stoke sectarian tensions and was still "providing assistance" to militias and death squads.
More than 200 US soldiers have been killed by armour piercing bombs, which the US says have been manufactured in Iran or made using Iranian-imported expertise.
"We are going to raise the need for Iran to match its actions with its words in seeking strategic stability in Iraq," he said.
"We'll see if, as a result of these engagements, they will change their behaviour."
The US has also said it believes Iran may have been implicated in the capture of five Britons who were taken hostage in Baghdad two months ago.
Differences
The Iranians, meanwhile, have called for the release of five of their citizens who were detained by US forces in Iraq in January.
The US has said they are members of the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), but Tehran says they are diplomats.
The BBC's Nicholas Witchell, in Baghdad, says that despite all the differences between the US and Iran, neither country wants the turmoil in Iraq to continue unchecked.
Analysts say the atmosphere could also be more promising because Iran is trying to prevent a new round of sanctions threatened over its controversial nuclear programme.
The US broke off relations with Iran in 1980 when Islamic revolutionaries seized the US embassy in Tehran and held many diplomats hostage.