Iranian President Hassan Rowhani has denounced the brutality of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) but also lashed out the American-led coalition against the militant group as “ridiculous.”

In an interview with NBC News, the Iranian president said “killing … [of] innocent people equals the killing of the whole humanity.”

“The killing and beheading of innocent people in fact is a matter of shame for them and it’s the matter of concern and sorrow for all the human and all the mankind,” he added.

Rowhani criticized the President Barack Obama’s refusal to send ground troops to combat against ISIS.

"Are Americans afraid of giving casualties on the ground in Iraq? Are they afraid of their soldiers being killed in the fight they claim is against terrorism?" Rowhani told NBC News' Ann Curry.

“Is it really possible to fight terrorism without any hardship, without any sacrifice?” he questioned.

Iran has expressed suspicion over the planned U.S. campaign against the militant group, especially in Syria, where Tehran says no airstrikes should be carried out without President Bashar al-Assad’s prior consent.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that Tehran rejected a request by the Obama administration to cooperation on fighting ISIS.

“I said no, because they have dirty hands,” said Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state in Iran,” Khamenei said in a statement on his official website.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Paski acknowledged that U.S. and Iranian officials have discussed the crisis in Iraq on the sidelines of separate negotiations about the Iranian nuclear program in Vienna in June, but she said the United States was not coordinating militarily with Iran.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:43 - GMT 06:43