Iran conservatives reject cooperation with US against IS
Conservative Iranian figures and media outlets have resoundedly rejected the idea of Iran joining a US-led coalition against the Islamic State.
The question of cooperation between Iran and the United States against the Islamic State (IS), which controls large swaths of territory inside Syria and Iraq, is once again the talk of Iranian media, with conservative outlets and officials speaking out against such a venture.
“Such a cooperation is in no way possible,” said the deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, Massoud Jazayeri, when asked by Fars News Agency about the possibility. “The reason for this is that Iran stands against [IS], but America created [IS].” Iran is currently cooperating with Kurdish and Iraqi forces fighting against IS inside Iraq.
Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani became the latest Iranian official to speak in favor of cooperation between Iran and the United States on Sept. 8. When asked by Danish Channel 2 News reporters, who had accompanied the Danish foreign minister to a meeting with Rafsanjani in Tehran, about the matter, Rafsanjani said, “If America shows honesty, cooperation is possible.”
However, during a press briefing on the same day, US State Department Spokesman Jen Psaki responded to a reporter’s question that Iran was not included in a 40-country coalition to fight IS.
