The deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, said that Iran’s nuclear negotiators do not have the authority to negotiate on cooperation against the Islamic State group (IS) and can only negotiate on Iran’s nuclear program within a specific framework.

In an interview with Arabic news station Al-Alam, which is owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Jazayeri was asked about reports that US officials had addressed the issue of IS on the sidelines of the nuclear negotiations that are currently taking place in New York and whether the Iranian negotiators have the discretion to conduct talks on IS.

“What I know [is] the Iranian delegation only has authority on the issue of the nuclear discussions, and that is within a framework that has been determined for them,” Jazayeri said. “Of course, it’s possible the Americans mention something about IS, but it’s not clear what the Iranian delegates' response will be.”

Jazayeri viewed claims that the United States has discussed the issue of IS with Iran as an US “attempt to gain legitimacy from the Islamic Republic” in its moves against IS. He added, “We explicitly state that America does not have the legitimacy to fight terrorism. Because the very moment that America states that it is fighting terrorism, its is training terrorists.”