Roundup: Key players gather in Vienna seeking political solution for ending crisis in Syria

Key players including world powers and regional powers on Thursday gathered in Vienna, seeking a political solution for ending Syria's civil war.

As a key player in the region, Tehran for the first time attended such a multilateral discussion, reportedly invited by both U.S. and Russia.

Tehran was excluded in talks last weekend in Vienna.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif held bilateral meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini after arriving in the capital city of Austria.

Iranian official media IRNA reported Zarif as saying that it's "impossible to reach a logical solution" for Syria without Iran's attendance at the talks.

Tehran reached a historic nuclear deal with world major states in July.

After meeting with Iran's Zarif, Mogherini told reporters that sides have showed their "compromise" over this issue, and now could sit by the same table to find a common space, but she also noted this is a beginning diplomatic process.

Russia has launched air strike against the Islamic extremists in Syria for weeks.

Multilateral meetings will be held on Friday, more players are expected to attend, including world powers and regional powers. One of the key issues which might be discussed is the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The internal crisis in Syria has caused millions of people to flee their country and seek asylum in Europe, leading to the worst migration crisis in the European Union since the Second World War. Endit