An Iranian parliamentary committee has called for direct talks with the United States to seek co-operation on setting up a new Afghan government.
Golamheidar Ebrahimbai-Salami said the special committee on the Afghan crisis had reached a conclusion that it is in the national interest to engage in talks with the main parties in the conflict, especially America.
Ebrahimbai-Salami said Iran's role must not be ignored in ending the current crisis.
Iran does not have ties with the United States and the two countries have been communicating indirectly or through the six-plus-two group.
The group comprises Afghanistan's six neighbours, including Iran, as well as the United States and Russia and is trying to find a political solution to the Afghan crisis.
Ebrahimbai-Salami said the committee's findings had been forwarded to President Mohammad Khatami and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on major policy issues, including US ties.
We are not talking about renewing diplomatic ties with America; such negotiations would only be aimed at ensuring our long-term interests, he said, in an apparent attempt to deflect criticism from Islamic hardliners opposed to US ties.
Iran has taken a low profile during the conflict, hoping that would help protect its interests in the West and its image in the Islamic world.
However, President Khatami is coming under pressure from both sides at home to take a more aggressive stance, with reformers seeking closer co-operation with the United states and its allies and hardliners demanding a tougher line against them.
The United States has hesitated to seek Iranian cooperation in its war on terrorism, citing concerns about Iran's support for militant groups in the Middle East.
Apparently at Washington's request, a stream of senior Western politicians have visited Iran in the past weeks to build a consensus with the Islamic republic in response to the September 11 suicide attacks in the United States.
Canadian Foreign Minister John Manley said during a visit to Iran on Sunday that Tehran should send a clear message to Palestinian groups that it opposes the use of violence.
But conservatives are likely to resist any radical shift in Iran's Middle East policy, which is the main obstacle to better ties with the United States.