US forces should stay in Iraq until the Iraqi government can assume greater control, visiting former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said in an interview published by the USA Today yesterday.

"We can't leave this newly formed government at the mercy of terrorists and insurgents," he said in New York, adding that Iran is not the enemy of the United States and the two countries shared strategic interests in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"No one will benefit as much as Iran from peace and stability in Iraq," he said.

Khatami urged Teheran and Washington to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program through negotiations.

While not directly criticizing his successor, Khatami noted that when he was in office, Iran suspended efforts to make nuclear fuel and agreed to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Khatami also rejected the idea of imposing sanctions on Iran. "Sanctions are to the detriment of Iran," he said. "Sanctions -- and, even worse than that, military action -- will only serve to complicate the issue, not solve the problem."

Khatami, who now heads a group called the International Center for Dialogue Among Civilizations, is now on a private visit to the United States and he is scheduled to make a speech on dialogue among civilizations at Washington's National Cathedral on Thursday.

The U.S. State Department said that during his stay in the United States, there were no plans for the government officials to meet with him.