U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday his country was opposed to Iran's participation at an international conference in Paris on Monday on  Iraq, which is grappling with an offensive by Islamist militants. 

"No one has called me and asked me with respect to the presence of Iran, but I think under the circumstances at this moment in time... it would not be appropriate given the many other issues... with respect to their engagement in Syria and elsewhere," Kerry told a press conference in Istanbul.