Iran’s Rouhani blames rise of Isis on western meddling in Middle East
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Version 0 of 1. The Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, has blamed the rise of Isis on western meddling in the Middle East in a speech to the UN but held out the prospect of closer Iranian cooperation in combating Islamic extremism if agreement could be reached soon on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Rouhani told the UN general assembly on Thursday that regional powers should lead the battle against Isis in Syria and Iraq. Western policies in the region had led to the rise of violent extremism in the first place, he said, and if outsiders wanted to help fight extremism now, they should support the Iranian leadership. Negotiations aimed at reaching a breakthrough agreement between Iran and six major powers have been continuing on the margins of the general assembly. But a comprehensive accord – in which Iran would accept some curbs on its nuclear activity in return for relief from sanctions – faces substantial obstacles: both sides are far apart on the question of how much uranium-enrichment capacity Iran should be allowed and which sanctions should be lifted first. In his speech Rouhani blamed the six powers (the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China) for being inflexible, saying they risked missing an “historic and exceptional opportunity”. “If our interlocutors are motivated and flexible, we can reach a longstanding agreement within the time remaining. Then an entirely different environment will emerge for cooperation at regional and international levels, for example in combating violence and extremism in the region.” The president began his speech by blaming the rise of Islamic State (Isis) militants on the history of imperialism in the region and previous western interventions, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also hinted that western intelligence agencies had helped in the emergence of Isis, using the militants as a proxy to fight against the Syrian regime and thereby “putting the blades in their hands”. Although he did not directly condemn US-led air strikes against Isis, he argued that American leadership of the military campaign would only worsen the situation, as it would be done for the wrong motives. “I believe if countries claiming leadership of the coalition are seeking to perpetuate their hegemony in the region, they’d be making a strategic mistake,” Rouhani said. “Democracy can’t be delivered in a backpack. It’s not a commodity to be exported from west to east. It needs a foundation.” He added that if “we fail to entrust the job to the people in the region who can do the job, tomorrow the world will be safe for no one.” |