UNITED NATIONS: Washington's arch-foe Iran has a role to play in tackling Islamic State (IS) militants who have overrun large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said this week that his government had rejected a request from the United States for cooperation on the battlefield.
US officials have not confirmed or denied making an offer in private, but they do not regard Iran as part of coalition they are building to fight the IS militant scourge.
Kerry said Friday that in combating the jihadist threat “there is a role for nearly every country to play, including Iran.”
Just last week, the top US diplomat had said it would be inappropriate to invite Iran to meetings seeking to building an international coalition because of Tehran's “engagement in Syria and elsewhere.”
Iran is actively supporting Iraq's government against IS jihadists, and helping Syria in its battle against both the IS group and unaffiliated rebel groups. 
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