Iran postpones Iraq security talks with U.S.

By Dean Yates and Sean Maguire

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iran has postponed a fourth round of talks with the United States in Baghdad on improving security in Iraq, prompting U.S. officials on Thursday to question Tehran's commitment to the dialogue.

Iran's ambassador to Baghdad blamed "technical issues" for the last-minute delay to discussions that were to be held on Friday, but did not elaborate.

The U.S.-Iranian security talks are one of the few forums in which officials from the two bitter foes have direct contact. Diplomatic ties between Washington and Tehran have been frozen for almost three decades.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari called the Iranian postponement "unfortunate".

"Yesterday we were informed that the Iranians want to postpone this for some time. This is the fourth time that we agreed on a date and they don't show up," Zebari told Reuters.

Iraq later said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would visit Baghdad on March 2 for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other senior officials in what would be the first visit by a president of the Islamic Republic.

U.S. and Iranian officials met three times last year to seek common ground on stabilizing Iraq in talks arranged by the Baghdad government. The last time was in August.

Washington has used the talks to urge Iran to stop giving weapons and training to Shi'ite militias in Iraq, including armor-piercing bombs known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) that have killed hundreds of U.S. troops.

Tehran denies the charges and blames the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 for violence in its neighbor. Both sides are also embroiled in a row over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Iran's ambassador to Iraq, said Tehran still wanted to hold the talks.

"This was supposed to take place on this week's Friday, but based on latest evaluation and because of technical issues, these negotiations have been postponed," he told the official Iranian news agency IRNA.

U.S. SAYS IT'S READY

U.S. embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said it appeared Iranian officials were unwilling to meet their U.S. counterparts.

"We have been ready for weeks. We are happy to sit down for the talks but it's increasingly clear Iran is not," she said.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters Tehran had requested a postponement of a "few more days".