Analyst: Iran May Use Force Against ISIL

Tehran, Oct 15, IRNA - A political analyst has predicted that Iran may use military force to defuse the threat of the ISIL terrorist group against its borders. Amir Mousavi made the statement in an interview with 'Iran Daily' published Wednesday. “The situation in the region is changing in a way that Iran cannot stay idle and it will take action to defuse the threat of ISIL,” the English-language daily quoted Amir Mousavi as saying on Tuesday. He also said that the US-led coalition is not aimed at destroying ISIL Takfiri group operating in Iraq and Syria because “all member-states of this coalition, except Iraq, are among the founders of Takfiri groups in the region”. “Countries such as the United States, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia … are trying to topple the government of Bashar al-Assad as well as the Shia government in Iraq by supporting the terrorists,” he said. Mousavi added that supporters of ISIL are pursuing four objectives in the region, namely defaming Islam and Muslims by taking inhuman actions, marginalizing the Palestinian issue, creating discord among Shias and Sunnis, and destroying the infrastructure of countries surrounding the Israeli regime. The political analyst noted that one of the missions of ISIL is to combat Kurds at the request of Turkey, a NATO member, because the creation of an autonomous country in the north of Syria is a serous threat to Turks. “Kurds of Kobani region are an obstacle to the swift shipping of cheap oil from Raqqah and other Syrian cities to Turkey,” he said. He said if the northern Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani falls, the Syrian crude will be transported to Turkey very easily. Kobani, also known as Ain al-Arab, and its surroundings have been under ISIL attack since mid-September, with the Takfiri terrorists capturing dozens of nearby Kurdish villages. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed in weeks of heavy battle in Kobani. Reports also say that intense fighting over the strategic town has forced over 200,000 people to take refuge in neighboring Turkey. Mousavi further said the other mission of ISIL is to target the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah. “ISIL and Al-Nusrah Front (Al-Qaeda-linked group) are infighting in Syria, but last week they tried to capture Qalamoun and Baalbek in a coordinated mission to deal a major blow to Hezbollah, although they failed because of the vigilance of Hezbollah,” he said. Hezbollah has been fighting foreign-backed militants, including ISIL Takfiris, in Syria. It has deployed thousands of fighters to the neighboring country to help President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has stressed that the Lebanese resistance movement is determined to defeat terrorists and Takfiri militants. Mousavi also said ISIL has captured more regions in Iraq and Syria since the US-led coalition was formed. “While the US-led warplanes struck some positions of ISIL, they targeted infrastructures of Iraq and Syria, including refineries, and the university and justice department of Mosul,” he said. The political analyst added that the continuing destruction of the infrastructure of Iraq by ISIL and the US-led coalition is a threat to Iran. “Therefore, Iranian diplomatic and military officials, with clear understanding of the new developments in the region, began to send signals about military deployment to the front fighting ISIL,” he said. “In the past, the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran talked about giving military advice, but they are already talking about troop deployment if Syrian and Iraq officials were to make a request, which can be considered a serious development.” Last week, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced Tehran is ready to take practical measures in dealing with the ongoing chaotic situation in Kobani if it receives an official request from Damascus. “Kobani is a part of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and if this government makes a request and asks for any assistance, we are ready to help,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in a press briefing. Noting that the Syrian government has not asked Iran for any action against the ISIL terrorists, Afkham said, “We have always announced that national sovereignty and international norms and conventions should be dealt with carefully in every operation against terrorism.” The United States and its allies have been launching airstrikes against the ISIL terrorist group in Syria since September. The US has also been carrying out similar air raids against ISIL positions in Iraq since August. Iran provided military aid to the Iraqi Kurds in the fight against ISIL, but has stressed that it will not join the US-led coalition as it does not trust the motives of its members./end