The World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed today to begin accession talks with Iraq and Afghanistan, but the US again blocked any such talks with Iran, diplomats said.
The green light for Iraq and Afghanistan was given unanimously by the trade body's 148 member states, but Washington said it was still studying the request on Iran - the same answer that it has given for the past three years.
Accession negotiations can take years, with Russia and Saudi Arabia still in talks with the WTO after some 10 years.