The Iranian team, led by Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari, is going to attend the two-day peace talks in the Kazakh city of Astana.

The negotiations, to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, includes representatives of the Damascus government, the Syria opposition groups, Iran, Russia and Turkey.

In February, at the conclusion of the second round of Astana talks, Jaberi Ansari hailed a “calmer and more conciliatory” atmosphere than the first round.

Diplomatic efforts to end fighting in Syria have gained momentum in recent months with the announcement of a ceasefire in the Arab country in early January.

The truce, which was negotiated between Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Damascus government and the Syrian opposition, excludes terrorist groups such as Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

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

Tehran insists that the Syrian nation is the only side that has the right to shape the future of its own country, rejecting foreign intervention with the use of force.