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Changing US-Iran Relations: Kerry: Iran has a Role in Defeating ISIL Militants
http://www.juancole.com/2014/09/relations-defeating-militants.htmlChanging US-Iran Relations: Kerry: Iran has a Role in Defeating ISIL Militants
By Juan Cole | Sep. 20, 2014
Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that Iran has a role to play in defeating ISIL. Addressing a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, he said that the military alliance put together by the US and its allies is only one part of the task, and that the other is political. He seemed to suggest a role for Iran in that political settlement. He mentioned that the Iranian Foreign Minister was present.
On Monday, Kerry had ruled out military coordination with Iran.
In addition, State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke admitted on Friday that Washington discussed the Iraq situation with Iranian representatives on the margins of the conference about Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. The two sides talked about the threat ISIL poses.
The Obama administration’s willingness to talk to Iran about some sort of joint effort in Iraq against ISIL is historic. In this regard, the administration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and that of Obama are not talking like enemies but rather like some sort of ally.
