Spain’s foreign minister has expressed hope that Iran would join the global fight against extremist groups if Tehran reached an agreement with world powers over its disputed nuclear program.
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said on the sidelines of a business forum in Madrid on Tuesday, “Iran is critically important in the region,” AFP reported.
“I hope that if a solution is found for the Iranian nuclear issue, Iran could join the fight” against a phenomenon “which threatens all Muslims, be they Shiite or Sunni,” he stated. “Iran exercises enormous influence in the Shiite world and has ties with movements that operate in the region.”
His comments came two days after Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) wrapped up five days of diplomacy in Geneva and Paris, including lengthy meetings between Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
“Against Islamic State or against its competitor in horror, al Qaeda and its diverse branches, there are no other solutions but the military solution,” Garcia-Margallo said.
In August, the US and its allies agreed to launch airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and later extended the aerial bombardment to Syria as part of a US-led coalition. Iran has refused to be part of the campaign since it accuses the US and its other members, including some regional countries, of adopting double standards on terrorism.
