Iran's top diplomat said Wednesday that Tehran and Ankara would press for a ceasefire in Syria ahead of peace talks planned for January, the Mehr news agency reported. "All our efforts should be carried out to finish the conflict and reach a ceasefire even before Geneva 2," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. Iran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's embattled regime, while Turkey has strongly backed the rebels seeking to overthrow him.