Iran wont join U.S. in Islamic State fight
Foreign ministers from more than 30 countries, including Persian Gulf Arab states, are in Paris to discuss broad political, security and humanitarian aspects of tackling the Islamic State. (Reuters)
PARIS Iran on Monday spurned an American request for cooperation in the fight against Islamic State militants, but the United States said the door remains open to a rare opportunity to make common cause with its principal adversary in the Middle East.
Irans rebuff came as world powers meeting in the French capital agreed to use any means necessary to combat the militant force surging in Iraq and Syria.
Diplomats from 26 nations and several international organizations began dividing responsibilities for what U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said will be an expanded international military, diplomatic and law enforcement assault on the group.
Its not the Iraq war of 2003, Kerry told reporters Monday. Were not building a military coalition for an invasion. Were building a military coalition, together with all the other pieces, for a transformation.
The sudden rise of the Islamic State has not only rearranged old rivalries and alliances but also eclipsed Syrias civil war and Iraqs sectarian fragmentation as the most pressing threat in the Middle East.
The notion that the United States might find its concerns shared by foes Iran and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is startling, as is the emerging partnership between Saudi Arabia, the spiritual center of Sunni Islam, and Shiite-led Iraq.
Kerry noted Monday that the support building for Iraq as it confronts the militants would have been unthinkable only a few months ago.
As the Paris talks opened without representatives from Iran or Syria French fighter jets flew a reconnaissance mission over Iraq.
France is alone in publicly offering to join the United States in flying bombing missions against Islamic State targets in Iraq, but Arab states have signaled willingness behind the scenes.
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Iran wont join U.S. in Islamic State fight