The United States has made a formal request to Iran to help ease the ongoing armed conflicts in Iraq, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said Wednesday.  

Kharazi revealed the news to reporters after a cabinet meeting when asked of the current state of relations with the United States, Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite channel reported.

"Regarding Iraq, there has also been a lot of exchanges of correspondence," Kharazi told reporters, adding "Naturally, there was a request for our help in improving the situation in Iraq and solving the crisis, and we are making efforts in this regard."

The Iranian minister noted that Tehran would continue its exchanges of communications with Washington through the Swiss embassy which takes care of the US interests in Iran.

Earlier, Iran's official IRNA News Agency reported that Hossein Sadeghi, Foreign Ministry's director for Gulf affairs, had been sent to Iraq Wednesday for talks with coalition officials, Iraqi politicians and religious figures.

The top foreign ministry official was sent to Iraq "to examine events there and to look into finding the means to solve the crisis," said IRNA.

Iran and the United States have cut off diplomatic ties and remained hostile for each other since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2004)