TEHRAN, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran said on Monday that it decided to hold talks with the United States on the Iraqi situation in order to pave the way for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, the official IRNA news agency reported.

    "Talks with Washington are aimed at restoring security to Iraq and paving the way for withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi was quoted as saying.

    "Although Tehran does not trust Washington, it is seriously concerned about the repercussions of wrong U.S. policies in Iraq, which is the main reason it has accepted Iraqi officials' request that it hold negotiations with the U.S.," Asefi said.

    Asefi also rejected the U.S. accusation that Tehran was intervening in the internal affairs of Iraq, stressing that "establishment of security and stability in Iraq will benefit all regional states, particularly Iraq's neighbors."

    On March 16, Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani said that Iran was ready to hold talks with Washington to solve Iraqi problems as proposed by Iraqi Shi'ite leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.

    In response, the White House authorized the U.S. Ambassador to Baghdad Zalmay Khalilzad to hold talks with Iran.

    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that Iran would hold talks with the United States for the sake of the Iraqi people although it did not trust the U.S. administration.

    Iran, which has been accused by the United States of allowing weapons and insurgents to cross into Iraq, had previously said it was not interested in discussions before U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq. Enditem