Nine MPs have signed the petition, which comes after Iran agreed to hold talks with arch foe the United States on Iraq in Baghdad, the semi-official ILNA agency reported.

“It is aimed at creating goodwill between Iran and the American nation,” said Jalal Hosseini, the lawmaker who drew up the petition, it reported.

“We have done this in order to neutralise the hostile and warmongering policies of the White House with parliamentary ties and to show that Iran is a pacifist country,” he added.

The petition appears aimed at seeing if there is scope for ties with the Democratic-controlled Congress at a time when the White House is putting pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme.

There was even speculation over a visit by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Iran following her trip to Syria, although no such intention has ever been confirmed.

However the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that he was opposed to such a parliamentary group and accused the signatories of being ignorant of the “hostile US acts against Iran”.

“Talks between Iran and the United States are limited to Iraq and bilateral questions have no place as long as the Americans do not make a new step,” he said.

Iran and the United States on Sunday both said that they would hold talks soon in Baghdad but the timing has yet to be announced and the agenda strictly limited to Iraq.

“This should not be seen as selling out the country. But issues can be discussed not just by governments but parliamentary friendship groups,” said another signatory, Morteza Tamadan, according to state television’s website.

The petition needs to be submitted to the parliament’s speaker Gholam Ali Hadad Adel who then puts the idea to a vote of the parliament. Hosseini said that the petition would be submitted on Sunday.