Iran, the largest state-sponsor of terrorism in the world, believes it will soon cooperate with France in the fight against terrorism. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency claimed that French President Francois Hollande had announced in a speech to parliament on Monday that his country would work with Iran in the fight against terror.
“French President Francois Hollande said in his speech to the parliament on Monday that France will cooperate with all countries including Iran, Turkey, and Persian Gulf states in the fight against terrorism,” reported IRNA.
Breitbart Jerusalem reviewed a France 24-provided English translation of Hollande’s speech and found no such reference.
The closest Hollande came to such a statement was when he said, “France will bring more support to those who are fighting ISIS, but we must bring together all those who can really fight against this terrorist army within the framework of a large, single coalition. We will be working in that direction.”
“France speaks to everybody,” he said. “We speak to the Lebanese, the Gulf States, to Turkey.”
On Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called to express his condolences, a French official said.
Rouhani pointed to the “crucial importance to fight against terrorism and Daesh [ISIS] with all our might,” the official noted.
Rouhani was scheduled to arrive in France for a two-day visit on Monday and Tuesday, but cancelled in the wake of the attacks. Both Hollande and Rouhani have agreed to reschedule the visit for the near future.
Meanwhile, other Iranian officials are claiming that French support for ISIS is partly responsible for Friday’s attacks. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Brig. Gen. Massoud Jazayeri stated, “The French paid the penalty for their government’s support for ISIS and the takfiri [infidel] terrorists.” He added, “If the French government and other Western and regional supporters of takfiri terrorism had rationality and wisdom, they would have predicted such a crime in the heart of Europe. … We urge people [in Europe] to put pressure on their governments to stop supporting terrorism in the region.”
The head of the Iranian judiciary Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani condemned the attacks but stated that the US and European states, as the primary supporters of ISIS, should be held accountable, and that US officials should be brought to justice for supporting the crimes of terrorist groups and the creation of ISIS.