Iran Claims To Be Only Country Fighting ISIS; Slams US Coalition As Ineffective

Iran said that it would react if Islamic State group fighters tried advancing within 40 kilometers of its borders. The Islamic Republic’s interior minister said that the country’s borders with Iraq might get affected by the militant group’s operations.

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli spoke to reporters Monday and said that Iran would intervene if the Islamic State group -- also known as ISIS or ISIL -- wanted to “commit an act of sabotage.” However, Iran’s interior minister said that the country’s border security had not yet been compromised because of the presence of its ground forces.

Fazli added that it was a mistake to have U.S.-led foreign forces counter ISIS militants. Iran's Press TV reported that, according to the interior minister, the U.S.-led coalition had failed in its attempts to stop ISIS. Fazli said that the Iraqi forces had managed to be successful only in the regions where popular Iraqi forces supported them.

Fazli is not the only one whom U.S.-led foreign forces have failed to impress. Mowaffak al-Rubaie said that 8 out of 10 U.S. fighter jets had failed to engage terrorist positions. Iraq’s former national security adviser said that U.S.-led airstrikes had been mostly ineffective against ISIS.

Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani said that Iran was the only country committed to counter ISIS. Reuters reported that the commander of the Quds Force said Iran should help countries get rid of ISIS. "Today, in the fight against this dangerous phenomenon, nobody is present except Iran," he said.

The people of Iran will expect better living conditions from its government after sanctions get lifted. Iran has spent billions of dollars since 2012 for supporting its Middle Eastern allies. Most of its support has been spent on arming Shiite Muslims. According to its critics, Iran will be able to do it more if it has the sanctions lifted.

However, the common people are more bothered about having better standards of living than worrying about political issues. "I have to support a family of four,” Al Arabiya quoted Gholamreza Behrad as saying. “I don't have time to think about politics or the nuclear issue.”

The teacher from Tehran said that the common people in the country would prefer an improved economy. He hoped that the lifting of sanctions would bring such improvements.