A common fight against piracy brought U.S. and Iranian navy commanders together in a meeting with other participants earlier this month, the Iranian state news agency reported Thursday. The report revealed the rare meeting only obliquely by relating the attendance of acting Iranian navy chief Admiral Gholam Reza Khaem Bigham at an international anti-piracy meeting earlier this month in Sri Lanka attended by 22 countries, including the United States, AP reported. This was one of first reports of a meeting involving military officials from the two countries since they severed ties in 1979, though there have been a number meetings of diplomatic officials in past years, especially over Afghanistan and Iran. The report did not say whether there were any face-to-face encounters between the two countries' military officials at the conference.
