Kerry Says Nothing off the Table in Iraq, but Working With Iran ‘Not on the Table’

‘What I said is we are interested in communicating with Iran to make clear that the Iranians know what we’re thinking and we know what they’re thinking’

Kerry Says ‘Nothing Is off the Table’ in Iraq, Then Says Working with Iran ‘Not on the Table’ (Mediaite)

Secretary of State John Kerry told the Today show’s Savannah Guthrie Thursday morning that “nothing was off the table” with regard to the U.S. response to Iraq, including air strikes against the Sunni insurgents who have captured several large Iraqi towns, but later added that working with geopolitical foe Iran was a nonstarter.

“I don’t know where this comes from, that we suggested working with Iran,” Kerry said. When Guthrie pointed out that Kerry had raised it, he said that he had been referring only to communicating with Iran, not actually involving them in any response within Iraq. “No, we’re not sitting around contemplating how we’re going to do that, or if we’re going to do that. That’s not on the table.”

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