Iran says rejects US call to fight IS militants
PARIS (AP) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says he had received a request from the United States to join the fight against extremists from the Islamic State group but rejected it because of Washington’s “unclean intentions.”
Khamenei said Iran privately rejected the American request long before the U.S. publicly opposed an Iranian role in the coalition that is seeking to fight the militants.
The Iranian leader made the remarks after being discharged from the hospital Monday.
Khamenei said Iran is proud not to be part of the U.S.-led coalition and warned that it will suffer the same problems it suffered in Iraq should it enter Iraq and Syria without authorization.
U.S. officials opposed France’s attempt to invite Iran to an international conference to tackle the Islamic State group threat.