Iran has a Role to Play in Fighting Islamic State, Says Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that Iran has a role to play in the global coalition formed to fight the Islamic State militants.

"The coalition required to eliminate ISIL (Islamic State) is not only, or even primarily, military in nature," Kerry told a United Nations Security Council meeting on Iraq.

"It must be comprehensive and include close collaboration across multiple lines of effort. It's about taking out an entire network, decimating and discrediting a militant cult masquerading as a religious movement."

 "There is a role for nearly every country in the world to play, including Iran.", Kerry said, reports The Jerusalem Post.

Kerry's statement comes in the backdrop of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani 's criticism of the U.S. not using ground troops against the Islamic State militants in Iraq. 

"Are Americans afraid of giving casualties on the ground in Iraq? Are they afraid of their soldiers being killed in the fight they claim is against terrorism?" Rouhani had said.

Kerry's comments suggests a change in the U.S. attitude regarding Iran's involvement in the international coalition against the Islamic State.

Iran was not invited to the International conference conducted on September 15 in Paris on countering the Islamic State.

Marie Harf, deputy spokesperson of the state department had said on September 16 that the U.S was ready to talk to Iranians regarding the happenings in Iraq. However, it does not want to share intelligence with Iran or coordinate with them, Harf said, reports Bloomberg.

Earlier this week, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that he had personally rejected an offer from the U.S. for talks to fight Islamic State.

"I saw no point in cooperating with a country whose hands are dirty and intentions murky," Ayatollah Khamenei said, reports Reuters citing state news agencyIRNA.