Iran’s Supreme Leader Says US, Britain Created IS Terrorist Group

The Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei claimed Monday that the United States and the United Kingdom were responsible for the creation of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

"They [the United States and the United Kingdom] created Al Qaeda and Da'esh [the Arabic acronym for the IS] in order to create divisions and to fight against the Islamic Republic [of Iran], but now, they have turned on them," Iran's top cleric said as quoted by Reuters.

Khamenei, Iran's leader for 25 years, also argued that Washington and its allies are seeking to create divisions among Muslims, rather than trying to eradicate the root causes of terrorism.
Earlier, the Supreme Leader of Iran reportedly turned down a US proposal to coordinate steps in the fight against the IS.

The IS jihadist group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has proclaimed an Islamic caliphate on conquered territories across Iraq and Syria. Responding to the group's rapid advance, the United States launched airstrikes against IS insurgents – initially in Iraq in August, and later in Syria.