The United States continued asking Russia on Monday to explain reports that Russia had given Saddam Hussein intelligence on U.S. troop movements during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Dan Fried, assistant secretary of state for European affairs, had a call with Russian ambassador here and asked Moscow to look into the matter, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing.

Besides, McCormack said, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would also raise the matter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov when they are due to meet Thursday in Berlin during international consultations on Iran's nuclear program.

"If that's the first opportunity for her to have a conversation with the foreign minister, then she will bring it up then. If not, it will be before then, in a telephone call," McCormack said.

"Clearly, as the secretary stated over the weekend, any hint that information provided to the Iraqis may have put our troops in harm's way would be very concerning," the spokesman said.

In a report on Friday, the Pentagon alleged that in the early period of the Iraq war in 2003, Russia provided Saddam Hussein with information on U.S. military movements.

The allegation has prompted the U.S. anger over the Russians. " We would take very seriously any suggestion that this may have been done, maybe to the detriment of American forces," Rice said in an interview on Sunday.

Republican Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, vowed Sunday to investigate the matter.

Russia's foreign intelligence service has denied the Pentagon report.

Source: Xinhua