Iran urges Turkey, Syria to show restraint over downing of plane

TEHRAN, June 24 (MNA) - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi urged Turkey and Syria late on Saturday to practice self-restraint in regard to Syria’s downing of a Turkish warplane over the Mediterranean on Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a press release. In a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Ahmed Davutoglu, Salehi expressed hope that Turkey and Syria would “settle the issue peacefully to help maintain regional stability.” According to a Syrian military account, the aircraft was flying fast and low, just one kilometer off the Syrian coast when it was hit, Reuters reported. On Saturday, officials from the neighboring countries mounted a joint rescue operation for two pilots still missing in the eastern Mediterranean, the Los Angeles Times reported.