U.S. Says Not In Talks With Iran About Iraq

The U.S. State Department said the United States is not in talks with Iran about the current insurgency in Iraq.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters in a June 13 briefing that the United States "is not talking to the Iranians about Iraq" and is instead focused on resolving issues over Iran's disputed nuclear program.

Separately, Defense Department spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the Pentagon could not confirm media reports about the presence of Iranian special forces operating inside Iraq.

Iran has also denied the reports.

Western media, including the "Wall Street Journal", have reported in the past two days that Iran's Revolutionary Guards Force has deployed several of its units in Iraq to halt the advances of militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an Al-Qaeda splinter group.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, Fars, Mehr, and WSJ