Posted on 09/19/2014 3:58:52 PM PDT by jazusamo
Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States welcomes potential action on the part of Iran to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) while the Obama administration maintains it is not coordinating militarily with the nation.
In remarks to the United Nations Security Council in New York on Friday, Kerry called for a "holistic, global campaign" to defeat ISIS, noting, "the coalition required to eliminate ISIL is not only, nor even primarily, military in nature," he said using an alternate acronym for the group.
"The fact is there is a role for nearly every country in the world to play, including Iran," Kerry said.
The Obama administration has been dogged by suggestions it would coordinate militarily with Iran to defeat ISIS, a mutual enemy, amid fears Iran would leverage their help defeating ISIS in talks over its nuclear program.
Iranian officials earlier this week said they had declined multiple requests the U.S. made in private for cooperation against ISIS, which the U.S. did not deny.
"We are not and will not coordinate militarily with Iran," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier this week, noting the two countries have had discussions on the margins of P5+1 nuclear talks regarding "counter-ISIL efforts in Iraq."
In an exchange with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Kerry pushed back on suggestions the two nations are coordinating to defeat ISIS in Syria.
"I'm not going to get into hypotheticals but you're presuming that Iran and Syria don't have any capacity to take on ISIL. I mean, who knows? I don't know what's going to happen here," Kerry said.
"If we're failing and failing miserably who knows what choice they [Iran] might make," he said, adding, "I don't believe we're going to fail."
Kerry repeated those sentiments Thursday, telling the House Foreign Relations Committee, "We are not cooperating [with Iran], there is no joint effort."
In an interview with Al Arabiya News on Friday before chairing the UN hearing, Kerry expressed openness to potential Iranian action to defeat ISIS.
"We welcome whatever Iran chooses to do or thinks it can do to deal with ISIS," Kerry said.
"We're not in a position, right now, to coordinate in some way that we know of, but we're open to communication, we're open to understanding how they feel they could be constructive," he said.
The Iranian Sleestack made it say it...
Kerry is a damn fool.
John Kerry you are an idiot!
It looks like it’s made out of plastic.
Kerry has a good point but he may not even realize it.
ISIS is Sunni, Iran is Shia — it is outnumbered by Sunni in the Muslim world, and the theological enemy of a possible future Caliphate.
The West will have to fight Isis (Sunni) for its very survival but is seeking help in a coalition with Sunni Muslim countries. Duh.
It makes more sense to sign a coalition with a Shia nation in order to fight ISIS.
(Ask yourself the question: How many Shia Muslim terrorists were on those four planes on 9/11/2001 and how many were Sunni?)
Just because the Shia publically hang homosexuals, does not make them more of our enemies than the Sunnis.
Wake up, America!
Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.
Kerry says the he can help the Viet Cong defeat the US?
Oh, he did that already? I’m a little behind in my reading of the leftist versions of the Vietnam war.
Once a fool and a traitor, always a fool and a traitor!
Swift Boat veterans rule!
Actually Iran is Shia. they would be happy to destroy the ISIS and take over their territory in Iraq and Seria
When I stop laughing I’m going to say something in defense of our equine friends.
LOL! Right on.
Might be a foreign affairs first for Kerry-Heinz (Slow Joe’s protege) .... all Iran has to do is drop one of their nuclear bombs on them when they are all bunched up ... say like a new shipment of sheep or new recruits for anal sex arrive.
She was born in iran to african-american parents. She is not ethnically iranian at all. She and her parents left iran when she was 5 yrs old. She speaks persian and also french, both languages with a foreign accent. If she sides with muslim brotherhood (sunni) and/or shia mullahs in iran (shia) islamists, it isn’t because she is ethnically iranian. As far as i know she isn’t an iranian national and doesn’t hold an iranian passport either.
Democrats have strong attraction for Faustians pacts, remember the FDR/Stalin pact.
Yes, I do. What about Ted Kennedy’s Soviet Gambit
http://www.rotharmy.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-56219.html
Kerry’s an idiot.
They could, but they won’t. Obama will want to arm them next.
DEMOCRATS BETRAYING THEIR COUNTRY... nothing new...History repeats itself.
Kerry defamed our soldiers and collaborated with the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
Ted Kennedy offered his services to the KGB during Reagan presidency.
KGB Letter Details Kennedy Offer To USSR
http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=1039
This letter which details Senator Edward Kennedys offer to help the Soviet Union defeat Reagans efforts to build up the nuclear deterrent in Europe was unearthed by a Times of London reporter in the 1990s after the KGB files were opened.
It got little or no attention, however, until the publication of Paul Kengors book The Crusader Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.
But even then the actual text of the letter (which is in the books appendix pp 317-320) has gotten short shrift.
OBAMAS MESSAGE TO PUTIN DURING HIS REELECTION CAMPAIGN
Remember Obamas message to Putin to wait after his reelection when he will be more pliable to Putins wishes.
Moscow troops could be in five NATO capitals in two days, boasts Putin taking for granted that Obama will not dare to confront him.
The Daily Mail ^ | September 18th, 2014 | By Will Stewart for MailOnline
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3205482/posts
Shockwaves reverberated through Eastern Europe tonight after Vladimir Putin boasted he could invade five NATO capitals inside two days. This came amid new reports that almost 4,000 Russia troops are massing in Crimea close to Ukraines mainland. If I wanted, Russian troops could not only be in Kiev in two days, but in Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Warsaw or Bucharest, too, Putin was quoted as threatening, according to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. All are former USSR or Soviet-bloc cities and apart from Ukraine their countries are now NATO and EU members.
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