(JNi.media) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday called to forge a united front to fight extremists in the Middle East, assuring the world’s nations that Iran is ready to help “bring about democracy” in Syria and Yemen, AFP reported. But he didn’t stop there, with promises of democracy in the most tortured part of the Middle East today, where Iranian forces, along with Hezbollah, the remnants of the Syrian army and now Russian forces. Making his first address to the UN General Assembly since the nuclear deal, Rouhani extended an invitation “to the whole world and especially the countries in my region to form a joint comprehensive plan of action to create a united front against extremism and violence.”
As many recall, in early September, Rouhani’s own “supreme leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced that at least one country in his region, Israel, would not exist in another quarter century. “I’d say (to Israel) that they will not see (the end) of these 25 years,” Khamenei announced. “God willing, there will be no such thing as a Zionist regime in 25 years,” he continued. “Until then, struggling, heroic and jihadi morale will leave no moment of serenity for Zionists.”
While bringing democracy to the area just north of Israel, presumably. Rouhani said the peace-loving nations of the region should approach regional problems through dialogue, to put a stop to the slaughter of innocent civilians, and build democracies in the region.
But Khamenei has said that Iran “needs enmity with the United States” in order to prevent its corrupting influence from weakening the Islamic Revolution. According to analyst DC-based David Daoud, Khamenei is rigidly opposed to any rapprochement with the United States, based on the Ayatollah Khamenei’s belief that combating America’s influence is a primary goal of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Rouhani spoke after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a “broad coalition” to stamp out the Islamic State, stressing the need to involve the Damascus regime in the war. “The gravest and most important threat to the world today is for terrorist organizations to become terrorist states,” said Rouhani.
According to Daoud, Tehran coordinates and supports its proxies, mainly through the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force (IRGC-QF), led by Qassem Suleimani. The US Treasury Department has designated the IRGC-QF and its commander for activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorism, including providing material support to the Taliban and other terrorist groups. The Justice Department cited the group as responsible for “sensitive covert operations abroad, including terrorist attacks, assassinations and kidnappings, and is believed to sponsor attacks against Coalition Forces in Iraq.”
Rouhani spoke after President Barack Obama attacked the Russian and Iranian support for Assad. Obama described Assad as a “tyrant … who drops barrel bombs to massacre innocent children.”