Secretary of State John Kerry brushed aside the notion Thursday that the United States would work directly with Iran in an attempt to stop the Islamic militants that are spinning Iraq into chaos.
“It would be a head scratcher, and no, we’re not sitting around contemplating how we’re going to do that, or if we’re going to do that,” Mr. Kerry told NBC’s “Today” show. “That’s not on the table.”
Mr. Kerry said the Obama administration is going to do everything in its power to solve the emerging crisis through diplomacy.
Turning to Iran, which is majority Shitte and shares the United States interest in stopping the spread of Sunni extremism in the region, Mr. Kerry said that the two sides are in communication “to make clear the Iranians know what we’re thinking, and we know what they’re thinking.”
Earlier this week, in an interview with Yahoo News, Mr. Kerry left the door open to working with Iran.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.