WASHINGTON, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States has delivered visas for Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his delegation to attend the United Nations meetings in New York, the State Department said Friday.

    "The passports with the visas have been delivered," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. He added that they were delivered at 10:00 am (0900 GMT) in Bern, Switzerland.

    McCormack made the remarks hours after Iran accused the United States of delaying visa issuance for President Ahmadinejad in order to take part in a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Iran's nuclear program.

    "Despite Iran's complete application formality for the visa and the U.S. administration officials' promises to grant a visa at the earliest possible time, the visa is not available for the time being," Iran's IRNA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs Abbas Araghchi as saying.

    McCormack said on Monday that the State Department had approved Ahmadinejad's request for a visa to visit the United Nations. He noted that as host of the United Nations, the United States is bound by "host country obligations."