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QUESTION: Can you confirm, or have you seen the reports that Iran has expressed the desire for direct talks with the U.S. regarding its nuclear program? And if so, what kind of role will Iraq play in that, if any?

MS. PSAKI: Well, we’ve seen reports. Of course, Iraq is a partner of the United States, and we’re in regular conversations with Iraqi officials about a full range of issues of mutual interest, including Iran. As we’ve said many times, we’re open to direct talks with Iran in order to resolve the international community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. And we work through, as you all know, the P-5+1 and Under Secretary Sherman just had a meeting, I believe a couple of weeks ago, with her counterparts. But it is – the ball is in Iran’s court to take the necessary steps to abide by their international obligations. And that has not changed.

QUESTION: Do you know --

QUESTION: What about --

QUESTION: Do you know if Prime Minister Maliki has offered himself up, or offered his services as an intermediary?

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have anything on that for you.

QUESTION: So you don’t know it’s that’s the case.

MS. PSAKI: I just don’t have anything on it for you. I don’t have any more information on that.

QUESTION: So, the – you’re saying --

MS. PSAKI: It would also be – I would point you to the Government of Iraq and Iran on that specific –

QUESTION: Did you ask people in this building if that was the case?

MS. PSAKI: Of course we discuss these issues frequently. I don’t have anything more to tell you.

QUESTION: And they wouldn’t – and so they wouldn’t answer you. You got no answer?

MS. PSAKI: That – Matt – (Laughter.)

QUESTION: I’m sorry, I don’t understand. The whole point of the story that she was caught talking, that the question is based on --

MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: -- is that according to notes taken from a meeting with the U.S. – with U.S. diplomats in Iraq, the Prime Minister made this offer. That’s the whole --

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have anything more to tell you, Matt. That’s all – I’m going to leave it at that.

QUESTION: Does the Secretary have a reaction to, like, the bipartisan group of lawmakers who are – want to tighten sanctions on Iran right now? Because I think there’s reports that --

MS. PSAKI: I know there’s been legislation out there. I don’t have any more specific reaction. We wouldn’t comment on draft legislation.

QUESTION: Is that something that the Secretary would encourage or discourage?

MS. PSAKI: Obviously, we have a series of sanctions that we’ve put in place as it relates to Iran.

QUESTION: But tightening them at this time?

MS. PSAKI: I just don’t have any more for you on that.

QUESTION: Wait a second. You comment on draft legislation all the time.

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have any comment on this specific case.

QUESTION: You don’t have any comment on that specific legislation?

MS. PSAKI: I would just say that, obviously, the Secretary’s position is what I just conveyed, which is that the ball is in Iran’s court. We’ve continued to put in place crippling sanctions on Iran, and we are working through the P-5+1 process.

QUESTION: I mean, just to put a fine point on this --

MS. PSAKI: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: -- you do comment on draft legislation all the time. In fact, your colleague, Ms. Harf, talked about draft legislation in the House that would gut the foreign affairs budget. She called it – it would be catastrophic or something like that. So let’s not say that you don’t comment on draft legislation.

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