The United States on Friday cautiously welcomed Iran's offer for talks on Iraq, but played down expectations on the planned face-to-face talks with Iran.

Speaking to reporters at a news briefing, White House spokesman Scott McClellan called Iran's offer an "interesting development," saying "We're beginning to see some signs that the regime is beginning to listen."

But McClellan expressed some skepticism that the talks would take place. If they do, he said, "What we'd like to see is for the regime to change its behavior. ... They should be playing a helpful role in the region."

The United States has been demanding Iran give up its nuclear program, which, Washington claims, is a threat to regional security. Iran denies the charges, insisting its nuclear program is solely for energy purposes.

McClellan said, "We'll have to see. We have been skeptical about the regime addressing our concerns in the past."

Local mass media reported that White House officials have played down the significance of Iran's offer for talks on Iraq, saying that similar statements were made late last year.

Ali Larijani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator and secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council, said Thursday that Iran was ready to open direct talks with the United States over Iraq.

In response, the White House said that it was prepared to talk with Iran about Iraq, and authorized U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad to hold talks with Iran.

However, the spokesman noted that it is "a very narrow mandate dealing specifically with issues relating to Iraq," adding U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear program are being dealt with at the United Nations.

Source: Xinhua