The U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria says Iran should be invited to a peace conference next month in Geneva.
At a news conference in Tehran Saturday, Lakhdar Brahimi said Iran's participation in the so-called "Geneva Two" conference is "natural and necessary." He said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Arab League Secretary General Nabil el-Araby also believe Iran should be there.
Brahimi spoke after talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who has said Iran wants to help settle the Syria crisis through diplomacy.
Iran has been a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his country's civil war.
Brahimi is on a regional tour intended to build support for the "Geneva Two" conference, which would be aimed at establishing a transitional government to run Syria and prepare it for democratic elections.
The conflict in Syria has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions more since it began in March 2011.