WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two of the U.S. military’s most prominent voices on Middle East issues are holding out the prospect of improved relations with Iran despite tensions over its nuclear issue.

Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, acting head of the U.S. Central Command, said in an Associated Press interview that Washington and Tehran could seek common ground on tough issues like combating the illicit drug trade in Afghanistan.
And Army Gen. David Petraeus, who is expected to win Senate confirmation as the permanent head of Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that he sees a possibility of “more constructive relations” with Iran.
The generals’ comments appear hopeful, perhaps indicating a view that there is a reasonable prospect of using diplomatic and other means to nudge Iran in a new direction.
Even so, Dempsey said in the interview Wednesday at his Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla., that he believes there are “plenty of opportunities to have some region-altering events.”
“There is even reason to find common ground with Iran on certain issues, like counter-narcotics,” he said.
The narcotics trade that stems largely from vast opium harvests in Afghanistan is an issue of great interest to both the United States and Iran, Dempsey said. The U.S. government sees stopping it as central to transforming Afghanistan’s meager economy and supporting the country’s political development.
“Iran has a vested interest in actually getting rid of the poppy because that’s where it ends up,” Dempsey said. “There are opportunities in the region for finding common interests with Iran.”
In his opening statement to his Senate confirmation hearing, Petraeus made a similar point about Iran.
“We must explore policies that over the long term offer the possibility of more constructive relations, if that is possible,” Petraeus said.