Iran said today it would attend a UN conference on the future of Afghanistan which was proposed by the United States.
But Iran has yet to decide who to send to next Tuesday's international meeting in The Hague, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said.
"Iran will participate," he said. "The level of participation is not clear."
News of Iran's attendance is likely to be welcomed by the new US administration of President Barack Obama, who has offered a "new beginning" of diplomatic engagement on a range of issues with the Islamic Republic.
In an overture towards Tehran, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this month Tehran would be invited to the conference to discuss Afghanistan, with which Iran shares a long border.
The Dutch foreign minister yesterday also said Iranian delegates would attend.
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying a regional solution should be found for the crisis in Afghanistan. Iran has said it was ready to help Afghanistan as it battles a growing Taliban insurgency.
"We believe that a regional solution should be found for the Afghanistan crisis," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Mr Mottaki as saying during a visit to Brazil.
"Iran's goal in the region is to help peace, stability and calm which is necessary for the region's progress," he said.
Mr Mottaki said earlier in March the United States was failing in Afghanistan and should recognise a new approach was needed.
Violence in Afghanistan is at its highest level since the 2001 US-led invasion, and the United Nations said earlier this month it was likely to worsen this year.
Reuters