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June 18, 2014

Rouhani: Iran "Will Not Hesitate" to Protect Shiite Sites in Iraq 
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Speaking earlier today, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran "will
not hesitate" to protect Shiite holy sites in Iraq threatened by Sunni
militants. Rouhani's comments come as the Obama administration said it
remains opens to cooperation with Iran on stopping the ISIS advance.
U.S. and Iranian officials briefly discussed Iraq this week on the
sidelines of nuclear talks in Vienna. But speaking in Washington, State
Department spokesperson Jen Psaki played down expectations.

Jen Psaki: "They discussed the need to support inclusivity in Iraq and
the need to refrain from pressing a sectarian agenda. In terms of where
we go from here, we're open to continuing our engagement with Iran, the
Iranians, just as we're engaging with other regional players on the
threat posed by ISIL in Iraq. It is likely it would — those
discussions would happen at a lower level, and we don't expect further
conversations with Iran on this issue in Vienna."

 

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