U.S. Says Iran Should Urge Syria to Halt Bombings before Peace Talks

Iran could show it wants to play a constructive role in upcoming Syrian peace talks by urging the Damascus regime to halt bombardments of civilians and allow aid access, U.S. officials said Monday.

"There are also steps that Iran could take to show the international community that they are serious about being a positive player," a senior State Department official told reporters traveling with Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Those include calling for an end to the bombardment by the Syrian regime of their own people, it includes calling for encouraging humanitarian access."

Washington has long opposed calls by Russia and others to allow Tehran to participate in the talks due to be held in Switzerland on January 22.

It accuses the Islamic republic, the main ally of Damascus, of providing weapons, manpower and cash, as well as arming Hizbullah members fighting with Syrian President Bashar Assad against the armed opposition.

More than 130,000 people have been killed in three years of brutal fighting, with the opposition still splintered and increasingly taken over by hardline Islamic groups.

The aim of the talks is to bring together for the first time since the civil war erupted in March 2011 both the Assad regime and the opposition to work towards a transitional government and halt the violence.