Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari urged Iran and the United States on Wednesday to stop trading accusations and sit down for a fourth round of talks to seek solutions to Iraq's security woes, reported Reuters.
Zebari said Iraq-hosted talks between the two bitter foes -- one of the few forums in which they have direct diplomatic contact -- had stalled. But he hoped they could soon be revived.
The Iraqis have repeatedly said they do not want their territory to become the battleground in a proxy war between the United States and Iran, who are also at loggerheads over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
"We believe it is very important to bring both parties to the negotiating table to discuss Iraqi security issues," Zebari told a news conference. "We can't currently make this happen, with both countries trading accusations against each other."
Washington accuses Tehran of arming, financing and training Shi'ite militia groups that launch attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. Iran denies this and says the presence of American troops is to blame for the country's violence.
Iraqi officials have said they do not want to be pushed into a conflict with their powerful neighbor, mindful of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war in which one million people were killed.
Zebari has expressed frustration at repeated delays in setting a date for a fresh round of talks. U.S. and Iranian officials met three times last year to seek common ground on stabilizing Iraq in discussions arranged by Baghdad.
U.S. officials say they are ready for more talks but Iran has postponed them several times in the past few months. One of the few concrete results from last year's talks was formation of a joint security committee.
"So far, there is no commitment to a fourth date, although the will is still there," Zebari said. "Though the talks are stalled, they are far from dead. We will continue our efforts to let both parties agree on a new date. We do not lose hope."
On Monday, Tehran dismissed any prospect of imminent talks with U.S. officials in Baghdad, accusing American forces of a "massacre" of the Iraqi people in its offensive against militants loyal to anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the crowded Baghdad slum of Sadr City.
Iraqi and U.S. security forces have been battling Sadr's fighters in Baghdad since late March.
The U.S. military said last week it had found "very, very significant" amounts of Iranian arms in the southern city of Basra and also Baghdad during recent crackdowns.
Last week, an Iraqi delegation from the ruling Shi'ite alliance went to Iran to present evidence of Iranian support for militias. The government has said it is collecting evidence that it will also present to Tehran.
Analysts say Tehran wants a friendly, Shi'ite-led government in charge of Iraq but it also wants to ensure rival Iraqi Shi'ite factions look to Iran as a power broker and is keen to make life uncomfortable for U.S. forces.