At least 60 people were killed and around 80 wounded Saturday when a suicide bomber in a fuel truck blew himself up near a gas station in a mainly Shiite town, while Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari arrived in Tehran for an official visit.

The attack occurred in Musayyib, about 90 km south of Baghdad, when the fuel tanker was moving slowly toward the pumps and the attacker detonated his charge, police said.

Witnesses said the powerful blast caused a fire storm and two nearby residential buildings were destroyed along with a number of shops.

Musayyib is located within an area known as the "triangle of death" where a lot of killings and explosions have occurred.

Earlier in the day, separate bombings killed 15 people, including three British soldiers, across Iraq.

Britain's Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed the deaths of the three soldiers, who were killed by a suspected roadside bomb. The deaths brought to 92 the number of British servicemen who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003.

The troops, from Task Force Maysan, were attacked in the Iraqi city of Amarah early on Saturday morning, a MoD spokesman said.

"Three soldiers have died from injuries sustained in hostile action. We think it was a roadside bomb," he said.

Two other British soldiers were injured in the attack, he said, adding that they are being treated in a field hospital and their injuries are not life-threatening.

A previously unknown militant group called the Imam Hussein Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombing.

"The killing of three British soldiers went ahead, with God's help, on Saturday morning," said an Internet statement whose authenticity could not be verified.

The claim on an Islamist website was signed by the Imam Hussein Brigades, named after a Shiite Muslim martyr.

Also on Saturday, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a police station in northern Iraq, killing four policemen and wounding 18 others.

The suicide bomber, wearing an explosive-vest, blew himself up at the Hamam al-Alil police station, some 10 km south of Mosul, which has long been a bastion of insurgency against US troops and Iraqi security forces.

In Tehran, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari kicked off his landmark official visit to Iran, his country's former foe neighbor.

Jaafari, leading a large delegation including 12 ministerial-level officials according to the Iranian state television, will hold talks with top Iranian officials on economic and political cooperation.

Iran's First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref held an official welcome ceremony at the Sa'dabad Cultural Complex, palace of the former shah, in the north of Tehran soon after Jaafari's arrival.

Then the two leaders held the first round of talks, during which they both called for promotion of the bilateral relations.

"Ties with Iran cannot be ignored in Iraq's diplomacy," Jaafari said.

Due to the sensitiveness of the bilateral relations and the visit, Jaafari's delegation members were all ordered to remain tight-lipped, reluctant to answer any questions.

"We are not allowed to make any comments," an official waiting outside the negotiating hall said.

Jaafari is the highest Iraqi official visiting Iran since the downfall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The visit is also the diplomatic intercommunion of the highest level between the two countries since the outbreak of the 1980-1988 war.

Meanwhile, it is the first time that Jaafari visits Iran as prime minister. He made several visits to the eastern neighbor when he served as vice-president of the interim Iraqi government after Saddam's downfall.

Under Saddam's reign, Jaafari stayed in Iran for nearly 10 years under asylum. He has been viewed to hold a more friendly and cooperative attitude toward Iran.

The official IRNA news agency said Jaafari is scheduled to hold talks with President Mohammad Khatami and Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi during his three-day visit.

Predictably, the Iraqi prime minister will also meet with Iran's Supreme Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei and President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an informed source said.

During Jaafari's historic visit, several agreements are expected to be inked to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Jaafari's visit marked a culmination of the recent intensive diplomatic activities between the two neighbors, pioneered by Kharrazi's visit to Iraq in mid-May.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiar Zebari, who is also a member of Jaafari's delegation, said Kharrazi's visit ushered in "a new start in bilateral ties."

Source: Xinhua