Iran's deputy ambassador to the United Nations Zahra Ershadi urged the removal of "the unilateral and unlawful" sanctions against Syria, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.

Lifting of sanctions must be a substantive element of any discussion on the humanitarian aspect of the Syrian conflict, Ershadi was quoted as saying.

Ershadi made the remarks at the UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria on Wednesday.

"The immoral sanctions on Syria only prolong the sufferings of people, delay the return of refugees and displaced persons and hamper reconstruction efforts," she noted.

Iran has been a major regional ally of the Syrian government in its fight against the armed rebels since 2011.