Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi telephoned his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, late Saturday to request his assistance, the state television website reported.

"During a telephone conversation
, Ali Akbar Salehi asked Ahmet Davutoglu for Turkey's immediate intervention to liberate the Iranian pilgrims held hostage in Syria," it said.

Davutoglu responded by promising "to study the issue and to carry out efforts as in previous cases," it said.

Iran's embassy in Damascus and Syria's state SANA news agency said on Saturday that the 48 Iranian pilgrims were abducted by "armed terrorist groups" as they were in a bus on their way to the airport in Damascus.