Iran is ready to cooperate with the Arab countries of Persian Gulf in fighting the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group.
Interviewed by Kuwait's Al-Jarida newspaper, Alireza Enayati, Iran's ambassador to Kuwait, said Tehran was open to such cooperation with its regional neighbors against all takfiri groups and their affiliates.
A takfiri is a hardline Sunni Muslim who accuses followers of some Islamic sects of apostasy and believes it is justified to fight them.
Enayati said the Islamic Republic has always confronted these extremist groups and is aware of the dangers posed by them to the region and the world.
"Our military advisors are engaged in fighting Daesh [an Arabic acronym for IS] in Iraq and Syria," he said.
Iran has so far successfully thwarted takfiris' attempts against targets inside Iran as well.
IS and Al-Nusra Front, the most brutal of such groups, have been carrying out campaigns of terror in the region, most notably in Iraq and Syria.
Enayati also remarked on the claims made by an alleged IS-linked terrorist suspect, identified as "Ali Mohammad Omar" and reportedly arrested by Kuwaiti security apparatuses. The arrestee has alleged that the terror outfit had cooperated with Iran and Syria.
Slanderous Attempts
The Iranian ambassador said such allegations are aimed at "falsely incriminating and slandering the Islamic Republic."
"Daesh's terrorist ideology has targeted Shia holy sites. And these takfiris stage savage crimes aimed at shedding the blood of the followers of the Household of the Prophet [PBUH]. So how can one believe that we would support our own killers?" Enayati said.
On Thursday, at least 40 people lost their lives and 75 others were injured when IS militants carried out a bombing and shooting attack near a holy Shia mausoleum in Balad, north of the Iraqi capital.
Iranian military advisors have been offering assistance to the governments of Iraq and Syria.
