Iran Seeks US Afghan Pullout -Mottaki

Mottaki said Iran had paid attention to comments by the new U.S. administration on withdrawing from Iraq.

Iran has taken note of U.S. President Barack Obama's intention to withdraw troops from Iraq and believes he should pull out of Afghanistan too, Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchechr Mottaki said on Thursday.

Mottaki said Iran had paid attention to comments by the new U.S. administration on withdrawing from Iraq: "We believe this should be extended to Afghanistan as well," he said.

Mottaki told a panel before the World Economic Forum that Obama had "courage" to say which of the policies of former U.S. President George W. Bush he disagreed with and said his approach marked a move away from an era of "might equals right".

"We are in a turning point. We are at a milestone now," he said.