A senior Swedish official has highlighted Iran’s role in resolving the crisis in Syria, reiterating that Tehran plays a significant part in the international efforts for reaching a political settlement to the conflict.

Niklas Kebbon, Sweden's special envoy for Syria, said on Wednesday that the crisis in Syria should only be settled through peaceful means and Iran can play a major part in efforts aimed at reaching a solution to the crisis.

The Swedish official made the remarks in a meeting in the Iranian capital, Tehran, with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The comments came hours after Iran confirmed that it will dispatch a delegation headed by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to a Friday meeting on Syria in the Austrian capital of Vienna, a first such presence since the conflict began in Syria in March 2011.

During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian appreciated as significant some European governments’ way of dealing with developments in Syria, saying the “realistic” approach to the Syrian issue is to focus on the political process in the Arab country.

The senior diplomat slammed some governments for their insistence on violent approaches to end the crisis, saying the provision of arms and weapons to the terrorist groups in Syria has only increased hostilities in the country and has led to more killing and displacement of the Syrians.

Amir-Abdollahian said since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always urged diplomacy to end the conflict.

The foreign-backed militancy in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people, according to the UN.