Saturday, May 27 2006 10:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The United States would still like to discuss Iraq's security with neighbouring Iran, a State Department spokesman said, despite Iran's refusal.

"As far as we are concerned, it's a channel that remains viable and open should we both need it," Sean McCormack said, when asked about Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's statement yesterday confirming his country's decision not to hold direct talks with the United States over Iraq.

"We decided to have such a direct talks in framework of the issue of Iraq, unfortunately the American side tried to use this decision as propaganda and they raised some other issues," Mottaki said, in a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari during a visit to Baghdad.

"They tried to create a negative atmosphere and that's why the decision was taken for the time being to suspend them," he added.

Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had already said that talking about Iraq with the United States would be of no use.

Iran and the United States have had testy relations for decades, exacerbated in recent months over Iran's enrichment of uranium, which Iran says is for nuclear power, while the United States and other countries fear could be used for bombs.