Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani phoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to thank him on behalf of Iranian people and parliament for his behavior at Davos panel last Thursday.

Larijani told Erdogan that he became "the voice of the free conscience with his bold speech."

He also thanked Erdogan for "attracting the world's attention to the crimes against humanity committed by Israel."

"Iran's Parliament appreciates and praises this humane and dignified behavior," Larijani said.

A senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Naser Makerem-Shirazi said Sunday that the Turkish PM should be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous move at the World Economic Forum, the Anatolia News Agency reports.

Erdogan walked off the stage after an angry exchange with the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, during a panel discussion on Gaza and vowed never to return to the annual gathering.

"When it comes to killing, you know well how to kill," he told Peres.