The Obama administration has agreed to invite Iran to participate in talks regarding the future of Syria, marking the first time the country has ever been asked to do so. Russia extended the invitation to Iran.
U.S. officials confirmed the invite Tuesday and said that Iran has not yet responded.
The Associated Press reported:
The next diplomatic round starts Thursday in Vienna, with Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and several top European and Arab diplomats attending. Washington had held out the possibility of Iran joining the discussions in future, but is only now offering Tehran a seat after days of behind-the-scenes negotiation, particularly with its regional rival Saudi Arabia.
Iran has consistently backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the civil war in the country while the U.S. has stood on the side of the Syrian rebels fighting Assad. Earlier this month, Iran sent hundreds of troops to Syria to fight alongside Syrian government forces supporting Assad.
Iran and Russia, another Assad ally, have reportedly plotted together on military intervention in Syria. Russia has been launching airstrikes in the country since late September, claiming to be fighting the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL or ISIS) but appearing to target CIA-backed Syrian rebels fighting the Assad regime.
The move comes months after Iran, the U.S., and other world powers reached a final nuclear deal in Vienna. In the wake of the agreement, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Tehran would not engage in future negotiations with the U.S.