US Officials: Iran invited to Syrian talks in Vienna

Iran has been invited to join the next round of talks on the Syrian conflict in Vienna, Austria, unnamed U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said the invitation was delivered by Russia.

A State Department’s spokesman said the talks could be held as early as Thursday but details were still being worked out.

“It’s expected that Iran will be invited to attend, point one. Point two, it’s up to Iran to decide whether they’re going to or not when they are asked,” said John Kirby.

Based on its recent activities, Kirby said he would not call Iran a “key partner,” but a “stakeholder” in Syria.

“I would not describe, based on their activities now, that they are certainly acting in partnership with the international community with respect to Syria, but they could be. These are decisions that Iranian leaders have to decide to make,” Kirby said.

American, Saudi, Russian and top Turkish diplomats held the first round of talks in the Austrian capital last week in an attempt to end the four-year-old civil conflict through a negotiated political transition.

It was debated why Iranians are not invited to the talks while they have a role in the conflict by supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime directly and through Hezbollah militants.

The State Department on Monday acknowledged that Iran should be included in the talks “at some point” but said the timing of the participation should be deliberated.