Erdogan urges return to diplomacy to end Iran-US conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday called for diplomacy to resume "without further delay" to end the US-Iran war following talks with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Erdogan met Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a UN climate conference in the Turkish province of Antalya, his office said.

During the meeting, Erdogan stressed "the importance of getting to the negotiating table without further delay" and said Turkey would continue to support efforts to secure peace.

"Common ground for agreement must be strengthened and diplomacy given a chance," he said, expressing hope that the conflict with the US "would end as soon as possible".

The Middle East war erupted on February 28 after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on countries across the region, while Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also joined the conflict.

Addressing the UN climate summit on Wednesday, Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of causing severe environmental damage through their attacks on Iran.

"The recent criminal and illegal aggression against Iran by America and the Zionist regime... has inflicted severe damage on the environment, releasing massive quantities of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere," he said.

Diplomatic efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan have sought to broker an end to the war.

Tehran has demanded that Washington meet a series of conditions, including unfreezing Iranian assets and lifting sanctions, in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy shipping route that Iran has blockaded since the conflict began.