Iran's President Hassan Rouhani critiques airstrikes on ISIS as 'a form of theater'

Despite a rare alignment of foreign policy between Iran and the United States in recent months, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani still critiqued other countries' approach to combating ISIS militants in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

"(ISIS) is a common threat for all of us, and this requires a unison effort from all of us," Rouhani said. But, "we need a vast campaign of operations…the aerial bombardment campaign is mostly, I would say, a form of theater, rather than a serious battle against terrorism."

The United States has not moved beyond airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, but Iran has sent its Revolutionary Guard units into Iraq. And Rouhani also dismissed the idea that Iran is in a true coalition with other countries involved in the operations in Syria and Iraq, saying that "some countries haven't come together under the umbrella of this coalition." Those unnamed countries likely include the five Gulf nations involved in operations against ISIS, which have traditionally been at odds with Shiite Iran.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up