Moscow - An Iranian delegation in Moscow on Friday said they would not meet with US delegates on the sidelines of the international summit on Afghanistan, Russian news agencies reported.

Russia had earlier this week said it would be ready to facilitate talks between US and Iranian diplomats

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Moon and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Akhundzadeh are attending the conference hosted by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a grouping of post-Soviet Central Asian states, Russia and China.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will join ministers to discuss international cooperation in Afghanistan. Iranian and US delegates will also attend a follow up summit in the Hague on March 31.

"We are here only to discuss Afghanistan's problems," Akhundzadeh was quoted as saying when asked about talks with the United States. (dpa)