US rules out 'trading aspects' with Iran to fight IS

Asserting that it is in Iran's interest to act against the Islamic State, the US has said it will not be "trading aspects" of Tehran's controversial nuclear programme to secure commitments to fight the terror group.
"It is not in the interest of the Iranian regime for this extremist organisation to be wreaking havoc on its doorstep," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
"So, like the international community, the Iranians are understandably concerned about the gains that ISIL has made in Iraq, and they have indicated that they are ready to fight ISIL," Earnest told reporters.
Earnest, however, ruled out any military or intelligence coordination with Iran on fighting Islamic State, or the ISIL.

"...The United States will not coordinate any of our military activities with the Iranians. The United States will not be involved in sharing intelligence with the Iranians."
He said the effort by world powers to persuade Iran to end its nuclear programme is "entirely separate" from President Barack Obama's attempts to build a coalition against the IS.

"The United States will not be in a position of trading aspects of Iran's nuclear programme to secure commitments to take on ISIL," Earnest said.
"These two issues are entirely separate. And the focus of the P5-plus-1 talks will remain on resolving the international community's concerns about the Iranian nuclear program," he said.

Over the weekend, Secretary of State John Kerry was in New York to engage in conversations in the context of the P5-plus-1 talks about resolving the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear programme.
On the sidelines of those broader conversations, he did have a conversation with his Iranian counterpart to discuss IS, Earnest said.
Later this week, Obama would chair a meeting of the UN Security Council on the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, Earnest said.
"We have seen that there are several dozen countries from around the globe -- not just the US and not just in the West, but from around the globe -- where individuals have travelled to the region, taken up arms alongside ISIL fighters.

"The concern, again, that the US has, that our allies in Western Europe have and that our partners around the globe have is that these individuals could decide to return to their home country and possibly carry out acts of violence," he said.
Earnest said at the UN Security Council meeting Obama hopes to accomplish a discussion about the kinds of global standards that can be put in place to mitigate the threat from these individuals.