U.S. and Iran officials to meet on Iraq security Dec 18

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iranian officials will hold another round of talks on Iraq's security on December 18, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Monday.

"As for the U.S.-Iran talks, we have agreement from both sides to resume the fourth round of talks. This is a fact and we've heard it as early as yesterday," Zebari told a news conference in Baghdad.

"We have a new date. That is the 18th of December. This will be a technical meeting, a follow-up to the last meeting of security experts, not at the level of the ambassadors but (deputy chiefs of missions) and security experts," he said.

U.S. and Iranian officials have met three times during the past year in Baghdad to discuss security in Iraq in talks arranged by the Iraqi government.

Washington has accused Iran of supplying weapons and training for militias in Iraq, including bombs and missiles used to kill U.S. troops, although U.S. forces say attacks that they link to Iran have declined over the past few months.

Tehran denies the accusations.

This year's Iranian-U.S. talks on Iraq's security situation eased a diplomatic freeze that lasted almost three decades, even though Tehran and Washington are embroiled in a row over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

(Reporting by Peter Graff, Editing Dean Yates)