Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says forging a common strategy by all members of the international community is essential to fighting extremism and terrorism.
"All [countries] should understand that this is a global problem that demands a global solution," IRNA quoted him as saying on Tuesday.
Zarif made the call in a speech to the Oslo Forum, an international conflict-resolution conference in the Norwegian capital.
Countries that really want to deal with the plague of terrorism and extremism around the world should not only take military, political and economic measures, rather they also need to address cultural issues and find out why some people are attracted to extremist groups and terror outfits, he said.
The Oslo Forum, according to its official website, "convenes senior conflict mediators, high level decision makers and key peace process actors in a series of informal and discreet retreats to share experience, identify challenges and reflect on mediation practice."
Interaction on Syria
Later in the day, Zarif attended a press conference, where he said Tehran is prepared for closer collaboration with the key players to help resolve the crisis in Syria. The top diplomat reiterated Iran's stance that only political efforts can lead to a solution to that country's problems, adding that no outsider should dictate anything to the Syrian people when they decide their political future.
"We can only pave the way for them, and Iran is ready to help in this regard," he said.
"We need to remember that the humanitarian situation in Syria is catastrophic. We need a comprehensive solution and all influential players should join hands to help improve the situation."
Zarif warned that there will be no effective political solution if certain sides are still under "a dangerous illusion". He did not name names. "The first step toward a political solution is that all countries abandon the illusion that there can be a military solution."
Syria has been the scene of a deadly conflict since the spring of 2011, which according to a recent report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people.
