He added however that it is "not a catastrophe."
Lavrov said U.N. members supporting regime change in Syria had forced the United Nations to un-invite Tehran to the talks in Switzerland, known as Geneva 2.
He pointed out that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, among others, recognized publicly that Iran is an important player in resolving the Syrian conflict.
Iran had already announced Monday that it wouldn't be attending the peace conference because it would not tolerate any preconditions for joining the talks -- including acceptance of the framework laid out in a previous conference which foresees a transitional government.
Louay Safi, a spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition, said Iran's attendance would have been "a deal-breaker." He told CNN that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "did the right thing" by withdrawing Iran's invitation.
A preliminary international session is scheduled for Wednesday in Montreux, Switzerland, with talks between the Syrian government and opposition delegations slated to begin Friday in Geneva.
According to breaking news banners on Syrian state-run television, the plane transporting the Syrian government delegation to the peace talks was prevented from refueling at Athens International Airport in Greece after landing there Tuesday, despite having the necessary permits.
The delegation's arrival in Switzerland will be delayed by at least three hours, state TV reported.
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