The Obama Administration has made a big deal of the many nations nominally committed to be part of the anti-ISIS coalition, but very few of them are committed to actually do anything. That doesn’t mean just anyone can get in, however.

France is talking up the anti-ISIS conference scheduled for Monday, and wants to invite Iran to the meetings. It makes perfect sense, they say, because Iran is already directly fighting ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.

Secretary of State John Kerry was quick to shoot this idea down, insisting it would not be appropriate to invite Iran to the conference, or the coalition, and that the US is comfortable with the coalition it’s already got, even though it’s not clear they’re going to do anything.

Kerry went on to angrily condemn Iran, for being potentially invited, saying they are too pro-Assad. Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government is also one of the few in open conflict with ISIS, and also one the US wants nothing to do with.

In practice, having Iran involved would likely keep Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC from helping in the new US war, though at this point it isn’t clear any of them plans to do anything other than continue to bankroll other Syrian rebel factions, which they were going to do with or without the “coalition.”