Tasnim � Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem in a meeting in Tehran discussed the latest developments in Syria.

Muallem arrived in Tehran on Saturday as diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria have gained momentum in recent days with the announcement of a ceasefire in the Arab country.

The talks between Zarif and Muallem focused on the recent ceasefire, which has been negotiated between Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Damascus government and the Syrian opposition.

The truce explicitly excludes groups deemed by the United Nations Security Council as "terrorists." This rules out Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the former al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria that used to be known as Jabhat al-Nusra.

The ceasefire will be followed by a new round of peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh, currently controlling parts of it.