U.S. officials in rare talks with Iranians

Bush administration officials held a rare private meeting with Iranian envoys in Europe last month to seek a promise of humanitarian help and an assurance that the Tehran government would not interfere in military operations if the United States goes to war against Iraq, U.S. officials said.

U.S. diplomats carrying a carefully designed message also asked Iran to join search-and-rescue missions for downed U.S. air crews, officials reported. They further requested that the Iranian government deny haven to fleeing Iraqis who might try to cross into Iran and regroup against a U.S.-supported government in Baghdad.

A senior administration official said the White House hopes the Iranians "will stay out of the way'' if U.S.-led forces topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussain in favour of a pro-Western government. U.S. and UN officials report that signals from Tehran have been encouraging, although the Iranian government opposes military action.

The overture to Iran, a member of what U.S. President Bush called an "axis of evil,''
demonstrates the extent of the administration's efforts to line up support in the Gulf for an increasingly likely war against Iraq. Bush has condemned the politics of the Tehran government but is seeking its cooperation as agreements with Iraqi neighbors Turkey and Jordan fall into place.

In London this week, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said a war would have repercussions in Iran. But he said Iran is prepared to settle Iraqi refugees temporarily along its border. During the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan on Iran's northern border.

Iran offered to conduct search-and-rescue missions. "Iran is basically against war and is not going to support either side,'' Kharrazi said.

There is no fondness in Iran for Hussain, who waged a bitter war against the country in the 1980s and allegedly used poison gas against its citizens. Yet, great ambivalence exists about the prospect of a new government next door endorsed by the United States. It has been barely a year since a U.S.-backed government took root in Afghanistan after the fall of the Islamic Taliban government.

Analysts believe Iran has an abiding interest in the outcome of any conflict in Iraq. They predict Iran will not take an active role during any armed conflict.