U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, top European and other diplomats discussed the Syria conflict with senior Iranian officials this weekend, as diplomatic efforts to find a political solution to the war geared up on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

With the Syrian conflict well into its fifth year and the costs and deadly toll of the war mounting, Western officials have said they hope to use the annual gathering of world leaders in New York to advance diplomatic efforts.

In his first meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif since Iran sealed a nuclear deal with the U.S. and five other world powers in July, Mr. Kerry pressed his concerns about the situation in the Middle East, including the crises in Yemen and Syria, the State Department said.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr. Kerry had declined to comment on whether the discussions would touch on Syria. However, he said, “I view this week as a major opportunity for any number of countries to play an important role in trying to resolve some of the very difficult issues of the Middle East.”

Mr. Zarif responded that the situation in the region has been “disastrous” and needs to be addressed. However, he said Iran would do that “in the proper international forum.”