Posted on 09/15/2014 9:05:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The administration has not been gushing over Iran’s decision to send troops into Iraq to fight against the Islamic State alongside Kurdish fighters. Tehran, for its part, is also issuing searing condemnations of Washington’s decision to reengage militarily in the Islamic world.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent out a tweet on Monday accusing the United States of “planning a war… to dominate the region.” Khamenei added that America appears to be envisioning a conflict in Syria similar to that which it is engaging in over Pakistan where, as the Iranian leader said, the United States “can commit crimes whenever it wants.”
That rhetoric is not matched by actions. “A spokesman for [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry acknowledged that the U.S. has held discussions with the Iranian government about efforts to counter ISIS amid negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program,” The Hill reported.
“It’s no secret that we have had discussions w[ith] Iran about the counter-ISIL efforts in Iraq on margins of our P5+1 talks on nuclear issue,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki tweeted Monday.
Psaki said that negotiations did not and would not include military coordination. But she suggested that American and Iranian diplomats could continue to discuss efforts against ISIS during bilateral talks on the nuclear issue later this week in New York.
“There may be another opportunity on the margins in the future to discuss Iraq with Iran,” Psaki said.
Over the weekend, Kerry made it clear that the United States does not believe there is any place for Iran in the coalition of nations being assembled with the objective of combatting the ISIS threat. Iran, meanwhile, insists that is has no intention of joining the coalition which it describes as being “shrouded in serious ambiguities.”
(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...
The big Obama conundrum, “How to convince the world I am resolute about ISIS/ISIL and not really do any harm to my Muslim compatriots.” “Its a puzzlement!”
Hmmm... Ain't that what Mohammed did a while back???
An “alliance” with Iran would be a nice sidestep. The Sultan in Washington is Sunni and Promoting Iranian hegemony would seem to be a contradiction but any Islam is better than none. The Shia can be dealt with later.
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