Iran’s state news agency said Tuesday that the nation was accepting an offer for continued talks with the United States on Iraqi security and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki welcomed a fourth round of discussions.

The US military's top commander in Iraq General David Petraeus, has accused Iran's ambassador in Baghdad of being a member of an elite unit of Tehran's Revolutionary Guards.

A report to Congress by Gen. David Petraeus that called for reducing the number of American troops in Iraq and saying they were needed as Iraqis were trained to take over responsibility for the nation's security themselves, was welcomed by Iraq’s government.

Iran's agreement to attend the Sharm El-Sheikh conference on Iraq's security on May 3-4 puts an end to days of speculation over whether the summit will involve all of the major players in the increasingly regional crisis.

Iraq has welcomed news that Iran will take part in a regional security conference later this week. Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i also said he hoped the meeting in Egypt would lead to better relations between Iran and the United States.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad called Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and told him that Tehran will take part in next week's international conference on Iraqi security.