WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States hopes to “constructively engage” with Iran on issues related to Afghanistan at an international conference in The Hague on Tuesday, a senior White House official said on Saturday.

“It’s our assessment and we believe it’s theirs that there are issues as it relates to, for example, narcotics that present an opportunity for Iran to engage Afghanistan in a way that can address … a concern that we also have about Afghanistan,” White House security adviser Denis McDonough told a conference call with reporters. He said the United States hoped Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “has an opportunity to constructively engage this issue.”