TEHRAN, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian diplomat said Thursday that the United States must withdraw its forces from Syria.

Iran's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Es'haq Al-e Habib, said that Washington must end its "illegal" presence in the Arab state, Press TV reported.

Regional efforts are underway to find a political solution to the seven-year conflict in the Arab country, he said.

The United States should also stop what Al-e Habib called "supporting terrorism" in Syria.

The Iranian official also denounced the "destructive" role that Washington's close ally Saudi Arabia is playing in the Middle East region, including "its support for terror groups in Syria."

He further called on the international community to exhaust all efforts to reconstruct the war-battered Syria.

Iran as the major regional ally of Syria has supported the government of President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against the militants in the civil war which broke out in Syria in 2011.