The United States and the European Union (EU) showed difference on Thursday over Iran's participation in an Iraq international conference scheduled for June 22 in Brussels.

Asked whether Tehran should be invited to the conference, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not directly answer the question but launched verbal attacks on Iran.

"We don't have relations with Iran. Everybody understands that. We believe Iran is a state that is out of step with what is going on in the region," Rice said after talks with visiting EU Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU High Representative Javier Solana and Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.

However, Jean Asselborn, foreign minister of current EU president Luxembourg, said that his country has relations with Iran and Iran has been invited.

"Luxembourg has the presidency. Luxembourg has relations with Iran. Iran is invited," Asselborn said.

Rice added that "it's not a problem from our point of view that they are invited to this conference."

"We want Iran and Iraq to have good, neighborly, transparent relations. And to the degree that this serves that cause, we're all for it," Rice said.

Source: Xinhua