Iran said it was "hostile" to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks brokered by the United States, hours before negotiations in Jerusalem were due to kick off on Wednesday.

"Iran is hostile to these negotiations and several Palestinian groups are hostile to them," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi told the ISNA news agency.

Iran's nuclear program was at the center of discussions on Wednesday between U.S. army chief General Martin Dempsey and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, public radio said.

"The Iranian regime is involved in all of the conflicts in the region," the radio quoted Yaalon as saying during talks in Tel Aviv with Dempsey which were also attended by Israeli armed forces chief of staff General Benny Gantz.

A proposed international peace conference on Syria that aims to bring together President Bashar Assad's allies and the opposition will probably not happen until October at the very earliest, a top Russian official said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said additional preparatory talks for the meeting will be held between Moscow and Washington at the end of August, and that the diplomatic schedule was already busy for September.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that Turkey had requested the Islamic republic's assistance to release the Turkish pilots who were kidnapped in Lebanon on Friday, reported the Fars news agency.

Spokesman for the Ministry Abbas Araghchi revealed that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had contacted his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi to make the request to find the pilots.

The kidnapping of two Turkish pilots in Lebanon has raised fears that international airlines may boycott the Rafik Hariri International Airport in a show of solidarity, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Monday.

Information obtained by the daily said that the Turkey contacted some of the highest authorities in Iran in order to mediate with Lebanese officials that it suspects may be linked to the abduction.

The March 14 General Secretariat will hold its upcoming meeting at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Monday.

According to the report, several members proposed the venue of the upcoming meeting to be at the airport similar to the previous meetings held in several areas across Lebanon.

Iran has beefed up its oil tanker fleet with vessels from China and is selling more crude to Beijing as Tehran struggles under international sanctions, the IEA said in a report Friday.

Iran's once lucrative oil sector has been crippled by sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union over Tehran's controversial nuclear drive. Despite Iranian denials, the West is convinced Tehran is pursuing a nuclear bomb.

Slovakia said Wednesday it was hopeful eight Slovak paragliders held for months in Iran for alleged spying would be released.

"We are in talks with the Iranian side and these positive signals give us reason for a cautious optimism," foreign ministry press officer Peter Susko told Agence France Presse.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Tuesday for "increased pressure" on Iran, saying it was the "only thing" that would deter it from pursuing a nuclear weapons capability.

He was addressing a delegation of 36 visiting U.S. Congressmen after Iran's new President Hassan Rowhani called for "serious" talks without delay to allay concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

Russia on Tuesday backed the new Iranian president's call for fresh negotiations without delay on Tehran's nuclear program, while criticizing calls by U.S. lawmakers for harsher sanctions against Iran.

Iranian President Hasan Rowhani said Tuesday at his first news conference since assuming office that Iran was ready for "serious" talks on its nuclear program "without wasting time."