World

Iran Rejects U.S. Offer For Iraq Talks

May 28, 2006 / 10:09 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Iran's foreign minister on Friday rejected a U.S. offer of direct talks on Iraq, as Tehran hardened its position against international pressure to stop uranium enrichment.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran changed its mind about holding talks with Washington on Iraq because the Americans raised "other issues." He did not elaborate, but the sides have been sparring over Iran's nuclear program and Tehran reportedly wants to talk directly to the U.S. on that subject as well.

Mottaki got a boost from his Iraqi counterpart, who said Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear research, a stance that runs counter to U.S. efforts to force Tehran to stop all nuclear activities amid fears it is seeking to develop atomic weapons.

Mottaki's visit, which came nearly a week after the new Iraqi government took office, was only the second by a high-level Iranian delegation since Saddam Hussein was ousted in April 2003.

Recent developments in Iraq:

As of Friday, May 26, 2006, at least 2,465 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 1,943 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is the same as the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 111 deaths; Italy, 31; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Slovakia, Denmark three; El Salvador, Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, one death each.

In a joint news conference Thursday night that had a somber tone, President Bush acknowledged the bloodshed in Iraq has been difficult for the world to understand. British Prime Minister Tony Blair called the violence "ghastly."

The Italian military contingent in Iraq will be reduced by more than 1,000 troops in June, Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said Friday. "In June we will reduce our troops from 2,700 to 1,600," D'Alema said during an evening television show. It was the first time the government has been specific about the number of troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. The announcement came after D'Alema met with Premier Romano Prodi to map an exit strategy.

Bombs hit three outdoor markets in Baghdad Friday, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than 60. Sunni leaders also closed mosques in the southern city of Basra to protest the drive-by killing of Sunni imam Wafiq al-Hamdani as he was walking to his mosque.

The top Marine general flew to Iraq on Thursday to caution troops on the danger of becoming "indifferent to the loss of a human life," following allegations that Marines in Iraq murdered civilians. "We do not employ force just for the sake of employing force. We use lethal force only when justified, proportional and, most importantly, lawful," Gen. Michael W. Hagee, the Marine Corps commandant, wrote in a statement issued by his office.

The apparent sectarian attacks provided fresh examples of the difficulties faced by new Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki even as he said two key security posts could be filled within days.

Deputies close to the negotiations said it was doubtful a decision would be made by Saturday, although at least one Shiite appeared to be edging toward getting the interior minister portfolio, former National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie.

The Iranians and the U.S. had expressed willingness earlier this year to hold meetings on how to stabilize Iraq.

But Mottaki, speaking at a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, said Iran had changed its mind.

"Unfortunately, the American side tried to use this decision as a propaganda and they raised some other issues. They tried to create a negative atmosphere," he said.

The foreign minister later said Iran would strike back against any U.S. attack. "In case the Americans attack Iran anywhere, Iran will respond to the attack," he said.

Zebari said the Iraqis wanted a Middle East safe from weapons of mass destruction, but he stressed Iran's right to develop nuclear energy.

"We believe that Iran has the right to research in nuclear power for peaceful purposes," he said.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Sunday that he was ready to talk with the Iranians about their relationship with Iraq. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went on Arab television Tuesday to say Washington recognizes Iran's role in Iraq, as long as it is constructive.

White House press secretary Tony Snow reiterated Wednesday that the United States would not consider direct talks with Iran on the nuclear issue until it ends uranium enrichment and allows international inspections to verify it has done so.

The faltering diplomacy highlighted the delicacy of attempts to overcome 27 years of estrangement since the seizure of the U.S. Embassy after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The only publicly acknowledged discussions between the two countries came in early 2003, among lower-level officials in preparation for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Both nations also have sat together in some regional diplomatic groups, including talks after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001.

Tehran has long publicly rejected one-on-one talks with the nation it calls the "Great Satan." But Iran wants to maintain its influence with majority Shiite Muslims in Iraq and to avoid possible U.N. Security Council sanctions over its nuclear program.