US War on ISIL Not Real: Iran’s Larijani


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Speaker of Iran’s Parliament Ali Larijani on Monday blamed the spread of terrorism in the Middle East on the US warmongering policies, reiterating that the so-called war waged by Washington on terrorist groups is not real.

Addressing a gathering here in Tehran, the Iranian speaker said that the problems faced by the Muslim world today are the result of the West’s behavior toward Islamic nations in the past.

The US warmongering policies led to the growth of terrorism in regional countries, and the existing problems have their roots in those policies, Larijani said.

The United States claimed to be fighting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, but what it did only exacerbated the growth of terrorism, he added.

“The US fight against Takfiri groups is not real but is a game the US follows to achieve its interests,” Larijani stressed.

A US-led international coalition has been purportedly conducting airstrikes against Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in Iraq and Syria since September 2014. However, experts believe not only has it failed to curb the activities of Daesh and other terrorist groups, but it actually caused the spread of terrorism in the region.

The US strategy in Iraq and in Syria hinges on empowering local ground forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, to recapture ground from ISIL, but has failed to effectively change the situation on the ground in the fight against militants.