A senior Iranian commander has questioned the authenticity of the United States’ so-called battle against the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in the region, saying Washington seeks to only be able to manage the group and not eliminate it.
Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani said Wednesday that the policy of the US with regards to Daesh and other Takfiri groups operating in the region is to only have them under control and not eliminate them.
Soleimani, who was addressing the 21st annual gathering of IRGC commanders in the Iranian capital, Tehran, said Washington wants the countries hit by terrorism to turn to the US for help in tackling the phenomenon.
The Iranian commander also stated that Washington seeks to counter Iran through movements within the geographical areas where the Islamic Republic maintains its influence.
The United States is after regaining its power in the region, and this may be the reason behind Washington’s insistence on an agreement with Iran over its nuclear energy program, Soleimani said.
For months, Washington and its allies have been launching attacks on alleged positions of Daesh in Iraq and Syria as a bid to block the group’s advance in the two countries. However, many are suspicious of the attacks, saying the US is not serious enough in fighting Daesh and other Takfiri groups.
Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, namely the US, Britain, Germany, France, China and Russia, reached an agreement in Vienna in mid-July whereby the global powers agreed to lift the international sanctions on Iran in return for restrictions imposed on the country’s nuclear program.