Erdogan urges return to diplomacy to end Iran-US conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said diplomacy should resume "without further delay" to end the U.S.-Iran war after talks with his Iranian counterpart.

Erdogan met Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of U.N. climate conference in the Turkish province of Antalya, his office said.

During their discussion, Erdogan underscored "the importance of getting to the negotiating table without further delay" and said Turkey would continue to support efforts aimed at securing 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 broke out on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran responded by launching missiles and drones at countries across the region, while the militant groups it backs in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq also entered the fray.

In an address to the U.N. climate summit on Wednesday, Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of inflicting severe environmental damage during attacks on the Islamic republic.

"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 negotiate an end to the war.

Tehran wants Washington to accept a raft of demands including unfreezing assets and lifting sanctions in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital energy conduit it has blockaded since the start of the conflict.