Iran Backs Alliance With U.S. In Fight Against ISIS

9/8/2014

According to The Times of Israel, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has offered his support to the growing effort to thwart the terrorist network known as Islamic State or ISIS. Revolutionary Guards Qods Force Commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani has been tasked with joining forces with the U.S. and its allies in the ongoing battle with the group based in Iraq and Syria.

While it appears Iran and the U.S. have some common goals as it pertains to ISIS, the two nations remain in the midst of yet another round of negotiations regarding the former’s nuclear program.

U.S. State Department officials met with corresponding Iranian authorities in Switzerland this week to discuss a possible compromise. The meeting began Thursday and could continue into the weekend.

According to Eurasia Group analyst Cliff Kupchan, the current talks will, in all likelihood, end in a stalemate.

“Primarily because the sides are at an impasse over the size of Iran’s enrichment capacity, Eurasia Group now believes that a final deal is unlikely,” he wrote.

Later this month, however, a coalition of nations under the guidance of European Union Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton will meet in New York to negotiate with Iran. While the Islamic nation insists its motivation to enrich its stockpile of nuclear material lies only in civilian uses, nations around the world are concerned that Iran’s leaders are interested in producing weapons of mass destruction.

Marie Harf, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, urged Iran to allow United Nations inspectors into a military base after nearly a decade of stonewalling.

In light of the strained relationship between the two nations, many view Khamenei’s offer of support for the U.S. as suspicious.

Nevertheless, even Kupchan notes that the ongoing nuclear negotiation “remains a very close call, and last minute agreement is possible.”

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