U.S., Iran not seen discussing Iraq at Vienna nuclear talks

VIENNA (Reuters) - U.S. and Iranian officials said on Thursday they do not plan to discuss the growing crisis in Iraq on the sidelines of the latest round of nuclear negotiations under way, a rare platform for direct contact between Washington and Tehran.

Sweeping tracts of Iraq's northern and western regions have fallen under the control of an al Qaeda splinter group that has declared it is setting up a caliphate, or medieval-style Islamic religious state, and promised to march on the capital Baghdad.