Iran Could Work with U.S. in Iraq if Nuclear Talks Succeed

A top Iranian official said on Wednesday that Tehran could consider working with the United States over the crisis in Iraq if talks on its nuclear program are successful.

Asked about possible cooperation in Iraq, President Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff Mohammad Nahavandian told reporters in Oslo that the nuclear talks were a "test for confidence building".

"If that comes to a final resolution, then there might be opportunities for other issues to be discussed."

Nahavandian added that he was opposed to external intervention against Islamic militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) who have made sweeping gains in northern Iraq in recent days amid reports of the summary execution of hundreds of U.S.-trained Iraqi soldiers.

"The management of the situation has to be given to the people and the government of Iraq. The Iraqi people and government have enough resources and commitment to defend itself," he said.

"The outside world should just respond to what the government of Iraq wants (and) should not intervene in the management of the situation."

He reiterated a previous Iranian commitment to respond to any request for help from the Iraqi government "to take care of the internal issue" and criticized U.S. inaction.

"With regards to the United States, we have not seen any serious action from them against this wave of terrorism inside Iraq."