Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki

The U.S. government has agreed to hold a new round of talks with Iran on improving the security situation in Iraq.

A U.S. State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, confirmed Tuesday that Washington contacted the Iranian government about holding the talks.

Earlier Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran agreed to the new round of talks on the security situation in Iraq.

The U.S. government requested the talks through the Swiss embassy in Tehran. Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of a U.S. mission there.

The United States and Iran have held three rounds of talks about the situation in Iraq this year, breaking a 27-year freeze in diplomatic ties. The meetings did not appear to make much progress, with each side blaming the other for Iraq's violence.

But in recent weeks, U.S. military officials have said Iran appears to be restricting the flow of weapons across its border into Iraq.

Earlier this month, the U.S. military released nine Iranians detained in Iraq. The military has said 11 other Iranians remain in U.S. custody.

The previous meetings between the two sides did not include other issues such as the Iranian nuclear dispute.