Iran: U.S. 'intelligence failure' led to botched Iraq mission

Story Highlights

• NEW: Arrested militant not who officials thought he was
• Iranian official says keeping U.S. troops in Iraq only stokes violence
• U.S. envoy to Iraq urges Iraq's neighbors to work harder to halt violence
• At least 20 people killed and 45 injured in suicide blast near Sadr City

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. officials have made mistakes in Iraq because they are "suffering from intelligence failure" and are only fanning the violence by keeping troops there, Iran's deputy foreign minister said Saturday.

Abbas Araghchi's remarks came at a security conference with a U.S. delegate at the table with Syrian and Iranian dignitaries.

The U.S. has accused Iran of providing deadly explosive devices to militias in Iraq, and Syria of not doing enough to stem the flow of insurgents across its border with the war-torn nation. Both nations have denied the allegations.

"The security of Iraq is our security. Stability in Iraq is a necessity for the peace and stability of the region," Araghchi said. "We support peace and stability, democracy and prosperity in Iraq."

Arrested man not militant leader after all

Also on Saturday, a high-ranking Defense Ministry official told CNN that a man arrested Friday was not al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.

The detainee is actually a religious leader of a group associated with al Qaeda in Iraq, the official said on condition of anonymity. (Full story)

A suicide car bomb exploded Saturday near the Baghdad militant Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, killing 20 and wounding at least 45.

Two mortars also struck the Green Zone, Baghdad's fortified diplomatic compound, close to the Foreign Ministry venue of the peace talks.

Before Araghchi spoke, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called the one-day conference "very positive and constructive" and said Iraq's neighbors agree they should meet again.

Attending the conference are the five permanent U.N. Security Council members, six of Iraq's neighbors -- including Syria and Iran -- and various Arab representatives, including the Arab League.

The next conference could be in Baghdad. Cairo, Egypt; and Istanbul, Turkey, also have been floated as possible venues.

Participants tentatively agreed to form technical committees to address three issues: security cooperation; refugees and displaced Iraqis; and fuel and energy imports, Zebari said.

The foreign minister said he must consult with other Iraqi officials before committing to participate.

"The Iraqi government will do its share, its role, in helping those displaced people, in cooperation with the host countries as well as with international organizations. It will not shy away from its responsibilities," he said.

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad called the future of Iraq and the Middle East "the defining issue of our time" and concurred that Saturday's discussions were worthwhile.

"The talks were constructive. They were businesslike. They were problem-solving in orientation," the ambassador said, adding that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has agreed to attend the next meeting.

"The United States is participating in this conference as a key strategic partner of Iraq, and as a friend committed to helping strengthen Iraqi democracy," he said. "No country represented at the table would benefit from a disintegrated Iraq; indeed, all would suffer badly."

He said he met and shook hands with his Iranian counterpart, but the majority of the exchanges with the Iranian and Syrian delegations took place across the table.

In a conference call with reporters, Khalilzad said he mentioned U.S. concerns regarding Iranian interference in Iraq, as well as the issues of weapons and people coming across its borders and allegations Iran is supporting terrorist organizations -- a charge Tehran has denied. The Iranian delegation, meanwhile, raised the issue of Iranians held in Iraq.

But he said the exchanges remained cordial.

"Nobody was pounding the table," he said. "The exchanges were quite, I would say, ordinary and frank and sometimes jovial."

Still, "we will have to see what happens on the ground," he said.

In the conference's opening remarks, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki warned that Iraq should not be used as a battleground for international or regional disputes.

"We call for peaceful dialogue to settle disputes, including international, regional and inter-regional issues," al-Maliki said.

The prime minister said his government "will not interfere in the affairs of other countries nor will it use its land as a base to attack others. At the same time, we are waiting for others to adopt the same position."

He challenged countries attending the conference to adopt a "strong and clear stance against terrorism in Iraq" and cooperate in efforts to "stamp out the forces of terror."

Britain issued a written statement encouraging participants to "use this opportunity to continue their engagement with the Iraqi government and agree how they may further support the government in its efforts to provide security and essential services to its citizens."

CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.