Iranian Cleric Slams UNSC for Inaction on ISIL Crimes in Iraq

“Two weeks pass with such brutalities (by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) in Iraq, but the (UN) Security Council has not shown any reaction and has not even held an emergency session. This shows they (UNSC members) are either intimidated by the US or are working hand in glove (with the US),” Tehran's Provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ahmad Khatami underlined.

Addressing a large congregation of worshippers in capital Tehran, the senior cleric described the ISIL as a terrorist group that benefits from the backing of Americans and Zionists, arguing that the enemies seek to damage the image of Islam in the world.

Ayatollah Khatami made it clear that the ongoing turmoil in Iraq is by no means a Shiite-Sunni sectarian war, stressing that the ISIL terrorists are enemies to both Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

“Their (ISIL members’) commanders are forces loyal to (Iraqi dictator) Saddam (Hussein), they are secular and have no religion either,” he explained.

In relevant comments on June 22, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei made clear that ongoing violence in Iraq, unlike what Americans say, is by no means a Shiite-Sunni sectarian war.

“What has taken place in Iraq is not a Shiite-Sunni war, but an attempt by the hegemonic powers to destabilize Iraq and threaten the country’s territorial integrity by using the remnants of Saddam regime as the main players and the bigoted Takfiri elements as infantry,” said Imam Khamenei.

In early June, following its large-scale offensives in Iraq, ISIL seized control of most parts of Mosul, the second most populous city in Iraq and its surrounding Nineveh province.

The terrorists’ attacks have reportedly forced more than half a million people in Nineveh Province to flee their homes.

Following Iraqi top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s religious decree (Fatwa) which called on Iraqis to take up arms against terrorists, nearly 1.5 million Iraqis have volunteered to join battles against the al-Qaeda-linked militants. The volunteers consist of people from all walks of life including retired officers.