Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki opened the talks by saying he was confident Iran and the United States have the will to reach common ground in their Iraq policies.

Maliki says Iraqi officials would participate in the meeting not as a mediator between the two sides, but as a principal party in trying to direct the dialogue in a positive direction.

After nearly four hours of talks, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said Iranian and U.S. officials agreed on the broad principles that guide their policies for a democratic and peaceful Iraq.

"We also made it clear from the American point of view that this is about actions, not just principles, I laid out for the Iranians a number of our direct specific concerns about their behavior in Iraq."

Ambassador Crocker said U.S. officials accused Iran of carrying out actions that oppose its stated goal of securing Iraq, such as training and providing weapons to insurgent militias that undermine the Iraqi government. He said the Iranian delegation, led by Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi, did not respond to the allegations.

No Iranian representatives spoke at the news conference following the talks, but Ambassador Crocker was asked about the concerns they had raised.