Iran, U.S. discuss Iraq shortly

TEHRAN,June 18(MNA) – Iran and U.S. officials have shortly discussed the current Iraqi crisis and the atrocities committed by the ISIL terrorist group in the Arab country, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told on Tuesday. The short discussion took place in Vienna on the sidelines of the negotiations between Iran and the six world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program. The Iranian foreign minister, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, and European Union foreign policy chief Catherin Ashton held a trilateral meeting on Iran’s nuclear program in Vienna on Monday. “We are open to engaging the Iranians,” said a senior State Department official, who characterized the discussions as brief. “These engagements will not include military coordination or strategic determinations about Iraq’s future over the heads of the Iraqi people,” the U.S. official said, on condition of anonymity, according to the Guardian. "We're open to discussions if there is something constructive that can be contributed by Iran," Kerry told Yahoo News. "At this moment I think we need to go step by step and see what in fact might be a reality. But I wouldn't rule out anything that would be constructive to providing real stability,” he added. Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (IsiL) have rapidly advanced through Iraq in recent days, capturing several cities. It was reported on Monday that they had taken Tal Afar, a northern Iraqi city. On Sunday, the insurgent fighters posted images purporting to show the execution of hundreds of Shia fighters.