John Kerry: US Open to Working With Iran Over Iraq Conflict



 Written : Mohamed Abdel fattah

 Jun 16, 2014

 Secretary of State John Kerry  said Monday that United States is considering U.S. air strikes to help the Iraqi government fend off an Islamist insurgency as well as Obama administration would be willing to talk with Iran over deteriorating security conditions in Iraq

In an interview with Yahoo! News,Kerry said the White House was open to working with Iran, Mr. Kerry said, “I wouldn’t rule out anything that would be constructive to providing real stability, a respect for the Constitution, a respect for the election process and a respect for the ability of the Iraqi people to form a government that represents all the interests of Iraq.”

Iran and the United States do not have formal diplomatic ties, talks between US and Iranian officials could come as early as this week on the sidelines of scheduled negotiations on Tehran's nuclear ambitions in Vienna.

"At this moment, I think we need to go step-by-step and see what in fact might be a reality. But I would not rule out anything that would be constructive in providing real stability, a respect for the constitution, a respect for the election process and a respect for the ability of the Iraqi people to form a government that represents all the interests of Iraq," he said. "We are open to any constructive process here that would minimize the violence."

In the interview, Kerry called Iraq a strategic partner in the Middle East and said the United States was "deeply committed to the integrity of Iraq as a country."

"It is vital, ultimately, to the stability of the region as a whole," he said.

At the White House, Obama said Iraq's government has been unable to deal with the "terrorist offensive," and he has conferred with his national security team about possible short-term military action.

Obama also noted that Iraqi troops weren't "willing to stand and fight" against the militant attackers, calling it a "problem in terms of morale" and commitment that reflected the political divisions in the country.

President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday acknowledged the possibility of US assisting Iran and for a potential alliance between Iran and the US in combating Sunni militants in Iraq

“We can think about it if we see America starts confronting the terrorist groups in Iraq or elsewhere.” Rouhani said on Saturday.

Iran has been alarmed by the seizure this week of several major northern Iraqi towns by Sunni Islamist insurgent forces

Rouhani has said that the country is ready to assist Iraq in its battle against extremist Sunni Islamists.“If the Iraqi government asks us for help, we may provide any assistance the Iraqi nation would like us to provide in the fight against terrorism." Rouhani said in a speech made at a news conference to mark a year since Rouhani’s victory in the 2013 presidential election

Iran is the world’s largest Shiite country and news reports have said that it has deployed Revolutionary Guards units to Iraq to help defend the pro-Iranian government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Iran has sent about 500 Revolutionary Guard troops to fight alongside Iraqi government security forces in Diyala province, a senior security official in Baghdad told CNN.

The Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has released a series of images purporting to show the mass executions of scores of Shi'ite Iraqi soldiers.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki  said that the ISIL fighters' claim of killing the Iraqi troops "is horrifying and a true depiction of the bloodlust that those terrorists represent".

She added that a claim that 1,700 were killed could not be confirmed by the U.S.

ISIL has vowed to take the battle to Baghdad and cities farther south housing revered Shiite shrines.

Sources

washingtontimes

chicagotribune.

nydailynews

AP

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