Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Sunday that Iran is willing to help American troops leave Iraq if they wish to. "That's not a new stance; we have repeatedly informed the US party that if its troop pullout from Iraq is based on a definite time-table and schedule and if there is any need for Iran's help, we are ready to assist," said Hosseini in his weekly press briefing.
According to IRNA, Hosseini made the remark when asked about Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani's recent announcement that Iran is ready to help the US draw up a time-table for Iraq withdrawal. Larijani, saying that the US is pursuing a "dead-end strategy" in Iraq, suggested the US party that Iran is willing to help Washington stabilize the situation if it sets a withdrawal timetable.
"If they [Americans] have a clear definition of a timetable we'll help them materialize it," Larijani was quoted saying in an interview with London's Financial Times.
