Iran could join forces with its old adversary the United States in a bid to restore security in Iraq.
President Hassan Rouhani has said he will provide assistance if he sees Washington intervene in an effort to combat terrorism.
But he claimed Tehran was unlikely to send forces to Iraq, despite being ready help within the framework of international law.
Shi'ite Muslim Iran has been alarmed by
the seizure this week of several major northern Iraqi towns by Sunni
Islamist insurgent forces and their sweep southward to within an hour's
drive of Baghdad, and not far from the Iranian border.
'We
all should practically and verbally confront terrorist groups,' Rouhani
told a news conference broadcast live on state television.
Asked
if Tehran would work with Washington in tackling the advances by Sunni
insurgents in Iraq, he replied: 'We can think about it if we see America
starts confronting the terrorist groups in Iraq or elsewhere.'
Assistance: Rouhani said Iran was unlikely to send forces to Iraq but stood ready to provide help
Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL) are bent on recreating a mediaeval caliphate
spanning territory they have carved out in fragmenting Iraq and Syria,
where it has exploited a power vacuum in the midst of civil war.
A
senior Iranian official told Reuters earlier this week that Tehran,
which has strong leverage in Shi'ite-majority Iraq, may be ready to
cooperate with Washington in helping Baghdad fight back against the
jihadist ISIL rebels.
The
official said the idea of cooperating with the Americans was being
discussed within the Tehran leadership. For now, according to Iranian
media, Iran will send advisers and weaponry, although probably not
troops, to boost Baghdad.
'Iran
has never dispatched any forces to Iraq and it is very unlikely it will
ever happen,' Rouhani told Saturday's news conference.
Western diplomats suspect Iran has in
the past sent some of its Revolutionary Guards, a hardline force that
works in parallel with the army, to train and advise the Iraqi army or
its militia allies.
Interior
Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, quoted by Fars news agency, said:
'Supporting the Iraqi government and nation doe not mean sending troops
to Iraq. It means condemning terrorist acts and closing and safeguarding
our joint borders.'
In
Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama said he was reviewing military
options, short of sending combat troops, to help Iraq repel the
insurgency but warned any U.S. action must be accompanied by an Iraqi
government effort to bridge divisions between Shi'ite and Sunni
communities.
U.S. officials said there were no contacts going on with Iran over the crisis in Iraq.
Rouhani said he was not aware of any American plans for Iraq or whether Washington wanted to help Baghdad.
'If
the Iraqi government and nation ask for our help, we will review it. So
far there has not been such a request,' he added. 'We are ready to help
in the framework of international regulations and laws."
Rouhani
said 'terrorist groups' were getting financial and political backing
and weaponry from some regional countries and some powerful Western
states.
He named no countries, but was alluding in part to Sunni Gulf Arabs who Iran suspects has funnelled support to ISIL.
'Where
did ISIL come from? Who is funding this terrorist group? We had warned
everyone, including the West, about the danger of backing such a
terrorist and reckless group.'
Gulf
Arab governments deny any role in backing ISIL, noting that the group
has long battled Saudi Arabia's allies among other Sunni rebel factions
in Syria.
Saudi Arabia last
month designated ISIL a terrorist organisation, conveying its concern
that young Saudis hardened by battle could come home to target the
ruling Al Saud royal family - as happened after earlier wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
\Culled from DailyMail
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