It’s not difficult to understand why Talabani is all for the largely unthinkable proposition — a dialogue between the sworn enemies — US and Iran.

Talabani knows full well as do most Iraqis and the people of the Middle East that if the US is an occupying power that controls the destiny of Iraq, the neighbouring Iran exercises enormous influence over Iraq’s Shias. Some of the top Shia leaders including Ayatollah Sistani and interim prime minister Ibrahim al Jaafari have spent long years of exile in Iran during the Saddam Hussein era.

This is why it is no exaggeration to say that Iran can play a crucial role in helping the US and Iraqi leadership restore peace in Iraq. The US has repeatedly accused Iran — and Syria, of course — of fuelling the insurgency by providing political and material support. Which is why US and Iran urgently need to sit together and talk Iraq. Understandably, the talks offer made by Teheran has come as a bolt out of the blue for Washington. That is perhaps why the US is sceptical of Iran’s offer. It suspects that the talks initiative could be a ‘ploy’ by the Islamic republic to divert the world’s attention from its deeply divisive nuclear programme. Such suspicions cannot be without basis.

However, the potential benefits of a US-Iran dialogue far outweigh these apprehensions. First and foremost, a possible US-Iran engagement can bring peace and stability to Iraq which is not only the immediate concern of the US and Iraqis but also of all the countries in the region. Even if Iran, responding to such an initiative, manages to control its own borders, it could dry off vital support to Iraq insurgency. Secondly and more importantly, a dialogue between the US and Iran could create opportunities to resolve the issue of Teheran’s nuclear programme. Which would not only address the international community’s — and West’s — concerns over Iran but also spare the volatile Middle East another dangerous and completely avoidable showdown. The US and Iran would do well to listen to Talabani’s voice of sanity. They should sit and talk Iraq before this endless conflict spills over to the rest of the region.