TEHRAN (Tasnim) – United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura highlighted Iran’s influential role in the Middle East region and its efforts to help resolve the protracted war in Syria.

Speaking in a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari in Geneva on Friday, de Mistura described the Islamic Republic as an important and influential country in the region that can play a major role in resolving the five-year-old conflict in Syria.

He further said the UN has a clear stance on terror organizations and regards Daesh (ISIS or ISIL), al-Nusra and other al-Qaeda-linked organizations as terrorist groups.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister, for his part, highlighted the humanitarian, security and political aspects of the Syrian crisis and said the humanitarian aspect of the crisis is the most urgent issue which needs to be addressed.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.

According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

In the meantime, Iran has remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.

By Tasnim News Agency