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| US accuses Iran after Iraq talks | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Iran has increased support for militia groups in Iraq in recent months, the US ambassador in Baghdad has said. | |
| Ryan Crocker spoke after meeting his Iranian counterpart for rare talks on Iraq's security crisis, the second direct meeting in almost three decades. | |
| The talks, described as heated, started after a plea from Iraq's prime minister to support stability in his country. | The talks, described as heated, started after a plea from Iraq's prime minister to support stability in his country. |
| Washington blames Tehran for fomenting violence in Iraq, while the Iranians are demanding the US withdraws troops. | |
| Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki appealed for help to counter extremism, warning it reached beyond the country's borders. | Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki appealed for help to counter extremism, warning it reached beyond the country's borders. |
| "We are hoping that you support stability in Iraq, an Iraq that doesn't interfere in the affairs of others nor wants anyone to meddle in its own affairs," he said in a statement released by his office. | "We are hoping that you support stability in Iraq, an Iraq that doesn't interfere in the affairs of others nor wants anyone to meddle in its own affairs," he said in a statement released by his office. |
| These declarations aim to deceive public opinion which is troubled by the US' warlike policy Mohammed Ali HosseiniIranian spokesman Timeline: US-Iran ties | These declarations aim to deceive public opinion which is troubled by the US' warlike policy Mohammed Ali HosseiniIranian spokesman Timeline: US-Iran ties |
| But, speaking at a news conference after the talks, Mr Crocker described events since the previous bilateral meeting as "not exactly encouraging". | |
| "What we have been seeing on the ground over the last couple of months represents an escalation, not a de-escalation," he said. | |
| US officials had raised the issue at talks on 28 May. | |
| There was no immediate response from the Iranians. | |
| Security focus | |
| Tuesday's talks began with a heated exchange between the Iranian and US ambassadors, the Associated Press quotes an anonymous Iraqi official as saying. | |
| Iranian ambassador Hassan Kazemi-Qomi reportedly brushed aside the US allegations, saying that the US had no proof of its claims. | |
| From Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini said the US would be better off finding ways to get out of the Iraq crisis. | From Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini said the US would be better off finding ways to get out of the Iraq crisis. |
| "These declarations aim to deceive public opinion which is troubled by the US's warlike policy," he said, according to French news agency AFP. | "These declarations aim to deceive public opinion which is troubled by the US's warlike policy," he said, according to French news agency AFP. |
| On Monday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani held separate talks with the two ambassadors, and urged them to work together to improve his country's security. | On Monday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani held separate talks with the two ambassadors, and urged them to work together to improve his country's security. |
| But US state department spokesman Sean McCormack said US intelligence showed Iran was continuing to stoke sectarian tensions and was still "providing assistance" to militias and death squads. | |
| Differences | Differences |
| 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. | 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. |
| The Iranians, meanwhile, have called for the release of five of their citizens detained by US forces in Iraq in January. | The Iranians, meanwhile, have called for the release of five of their citizens 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 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. | 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. | 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. | The US broke off relations with Iran in 1980 when Islamic revolutionaries seized the US embassy in Tehran and held many diplomats hostage. |