Israel Matzav

It's come to this: Obama assures Iran he won't strike Assad

And you were worried about the Obama administration backing the (Islamist) Syrian rebels? This might be even worse.... Obama has assured Tehran that US forces will not hit Bashar al-Assad's troops.

The communication, confirmed in part by a senior US State Department official, may signal the estranged foes are inching toward a level of contacts rarely seen in over three decades since the 1979 Islamic revolution when a hostage crisis prompted Washington to sever ties with Tehran.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the senior Iranian official said Tehran had voiced concern for Assad, its closest regional ally and the recipient of Iranian military support during a Syrian civil war now in its fourth year.

"Iran was concerned about Assad's position and his government being weakened in case of any action against IS (Islamic State) in Syria and brought this issue up in meetings with Americans," the senior Iranian official said.

"This issue was first discussed in Geneva and then was discussed thoroughly in New York where Iran was assured that Assad and his government will not be targeted in case of any military action against Daesh (Islamic State) in Syria."

The Iranian official said Iran was informed separately in advance of the airstrikes launched by Washington and Arab allies against Islamic State positions in Syria for the first time.

Asked about the assurance that Syrian government forces would not be targeted, the senior US State Department official told Reuters: "We communicated our intentions, but not specific timing or targets, to the Iranians. As we've said, we won't be coordinating military action with Iran. And of course we won't be sharing intelligence with Iran either."

The US won't be 'coordinating' with Iran and won't share intelligence with them either. That's just so reassuring /sarc. What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Bashar al-Assad, Iran, Syrian uprising

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:50 AM