In its first public overture to Tehran, the Obama administration intends to invite Iran to an international conference on Afghanistan planned for this month, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced last night
"If we move forward with such a meeting, it is expected that Iran would be invited as a neighbour of Afghanistan," Mrs Clinton told a news conference in Brussels after meeting Nato foreign ministers.
President Barack Obama, in a dramatic reversal of Bush administration policy, has said the United States wants to engage Iran on a range of issues and the conference invitation would be the start of diplomatic outreach to Tehran.
Mrs Clinton proposed the conference, which brings in Afghanistan's other neighbours including Pakistan and other major players, would take place on March 31st "It is a way of bringing all the stakeholders and interested parties together," she said.
Iran borders Afghanistan and worked closely with the United States after the US military offensive there to topple the Taliban and fight al-Qaeda.
The United States is at loggerheads with Iran on a range of issues, including its nuclear programme which Washington says is aimed at building an atomic bomb. Tehran says its programme is for peaceful power purposes. "Our task is to dissuade them, deter them and prevent from acquiring a nuclear weapon," Mrs Clinton said.
The secretary of state is set to meet Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov today in Geneva and she said Iran's nuclear programme would be a big topic, adding that she would raise Russia's discussions with Tehran on longer range missiles.
"We will also raise with Russia, their continuing discussions with Iran about selling longer-range missiles which we think are a threat to Russia as well as to Europe and neighbours in the region," she said.
The United States is doing a full policy review of the traditional isolation policy of Iran, including whether to open up a low-level diplomatic office in Tehran.
Reuters