US officials say Iran has still not met criteria to attend Syria conference

WASHINGTON – Senior U.S. officials say Iran has still not met the criteria to participate in an upcoming international conference on Syria and its invitation to attend should be withdrawn unless it fully and publicly endorses the aims of the meeting.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the officials said public statements from Iran about the conference, known as Geneva II, fall “well short” of what is required for Tehran’s participation. They said that the United Nations must rescind the invitation unless that changes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter by name. But, their comments tracked with a statement the State Department issued on Sunday.

The officials spoke after Iran’s foreign ministry said earlier Monday that it would attend without preconditions.

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