Iran’s Rouhani blames Islamic State rise on West’s mistakes

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday, Sept 25, blamed the rise of the Islamic State group and other militants on the mistakes of the West and said the solution to stopping them must come from the Middle East, according to Reuters.

"The strategic blunders of the West in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus have turned these parts of the world into a haven for terrorists and extremists," he said in a speech to the 193-member United Nations General Assembly.

In a thinly veiled reference to the United States and Israel, Rouhani blamed the rise of violent extremists on outsiders. "Certain intelligence agencies have put blades in the hand of madmen, who now spare no one," he said.

The comments were among the strongest yet by predominantly Shi'ite Iran on the rise of the Sunni militant group, suggesting Washington and its allies were the problem, not the solution, and that Middle Eastern governments should deal with the threat.

"The right solution to this quandary comes from within the region and regionally provided solutions with international support and not from the outside the region," he said.

But Rouhani suggested the United States and Iran have a shared interest in confronting the threat after decades of enmity.

"The extremists of the world have found each other and have put out the call, 'extremists of the world unite.' But are we united against the extremists?" Rouhani asked.

The comments follow a back-and-forth between Tehran and Washington over what role Iran can play in the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State militants who have seized swaths of Iraq and Syria. Iranian officials have even suggested Western powers should scale back their demands in nuclear talks with Tehran helping confront the militants.

Rouhani made clear his suspicions about the long-term impact of Western military intervention in the Middle East.

"All those who have played a role in founding and supporting these terror groups must acknowledge their errors," he said.