Salehi is expected to meet with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, said the diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Iranian minister's surprise visit will come just after Turkish forces crossed into Iraq Thursday to strike at Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels and warplanes pounded their bases in retaliation for the death of 24 soldiers in a string of coordinated attacks in souteast Turkey.

Since July Tehran has been carrying out a major offensive against the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), which Turkey considers as a branch of the PKK.

Iranian security forces killed dozens of PJAK members including the rebels' deputy commander.

The PJAK, labelled as terrorists by Tehran, has often clashed with Iranian forces in recent years, drawing retaliatory bombing of their rear bases in the mountainous border districts of Iraqi Kurdistan.