"We are waiting for the planes to come and take us back home," said US team leader Bill Garvelink, as the team packed up its field hospital and passed their patients and equipment over to the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

He said nine team members would stay behind to conduct sanitation work in the city of Bam, hit by a massive quake on December 26 that killed up to 35,000 people.

The team, mostly from the aid arm of the US State Department, USAID, arrived here several days after the earthquake in what was seen as a major political gesture by Washington.

The United States also temporarily and partially suspended its unilateral sanctions against Iran, and offered to send a high level delegation -- including figures close to US President George W. Bush -- to follow up on the aid delivery.

Iran, however, refused to accept the mission, saying the "time is not yet right" for such high level contacts. Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic ties nearly 25 years ago, and Bush has lumped Iran into an 'axis of evil'.

Meanwhile, Iran was jolted by more mild quakes on Tuesday -- this time in the southwest of the country. The official news agency IRNA said four quakes ranging from 3.2 to 4.5 on the Richter scale struck an area around the oil and gas-producing city of Masjed Soleiman in Khuzestan province.

The first three shocks were recorded between 5:57 am and 8:58 amand 0538 GMT), and the fourth at 12:05 pm (0835 GMT).

Local officials told AFP that they had received no reports of casulties or damage.

TERRA.WIRE