By ALI AKBAR DAREINI and JASPER MORTIMER, Associated Press Writers
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran has renewed its offer to talk about Iraq with its archenemy, the United States, because it is concerned about the escalating turmoil in the neighboring country, analysts say. But Tehran may also be seeking to slow Washington‘s push for sanctions over its nuclear program.
Leading opinion-makers on U.S. foreign policy, including former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, have urged Washington to talk to Iran about the conflict in Iraq, which is fast approaching a sectarian civil war.
Iranian political analyst Leila Chamankhah said Tuesday that Tehran was reviving the proposal because it believes talking could "cause hesitation in the United States" over its campaign to get the U.N. Security Council U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran. America accuses Iran of secretly using its nuclear program to build atomic bombs. Tehran denies the allegations, saying its program is for peaceful purposes.
"Iran is the only country with any influence over the Shiite militias that are responsible for most of the killing in Iraq today," said Mark Fitzpatrick, an Iran analyst at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London.
"Once the U.S. owes Iran something on Iraq, Iran is in a strong position to call in that IOU. It may not work, but they are going to seek to use that leverage," said Jon Wolfsthal of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"The increasing turmoil in Iraq is worrying Iranian leaders," Fitzpatrick said.
Even if the two sides‘ envoys do meet in Baghdad, as was first proposed early this year, there are many pitfalls on the road to peace in Iraq.
"Iran has lots of influence, but not a lot of control," said Jon Alterman, another Iran expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Reza Jalali, a professor of international relations at the Open University in Tehran, said Iran withdrew its March offer "because of internal political bickering" and those who opposed the idea now support it.
Fitzpatrick said the White House could get around the political difficulty of talking to what it calls a "state sponsor of terrorism" by having the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, enter the talks with an Iraqi delegation.
"Then it becomes a multilateral negotiation, and the U.S. can characterize it as Khalilzad telling the Iranians to knock it off," said Fitzpatrick.
