Iran rejects bilateral meeting with US at nuclear talks

Iran has rejected a request to hold a bilateral meeting with US officials during the ongoing talks in Istanbul with six world powers over its nuclear programme, an Iranian official said on Saturday, Reuters reports.

Abolfazl Zohrevand, an aide to Iran's chief negotiator Saeed Jalili, said the request had been made by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who has led the talks for the big powers - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.

"There is no need to hold such talks if it is not about the nuclear meeting in Istanbul," Zohrevand said.