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

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani critiques airstrikes on ISIS as 'a form of theater'
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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.

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.