Iranian official says US is the 'godfather’ of ISIS/Daesh terror group

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN (AA) - Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Friday labeled the US as the "godfather" of the ISIS/Daesh terrorist group, reiterating what Iranian officials have often said.

"There was no doubt the US is the creator of ISIS," Kanaani wrote in a Twitter post.

"But for those who deliberately closed their eyes to the truth, the statement of Robert F. Kennedy, the nephew of (late US President) John F. Kennedy saying “We created ISIS” reaffirms the fact that the American regime is the godfather of Daesh/ISIS."

On Wednesday, the 69-year-old Kennedy, at a campaign event in Boston, rebuked his country's foreign policy and the use of military power around the world.

In remarks that raised eyebrows in Washington, the anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer said the US “created” the ISIS/Daesh terrorist group and 2 million refugees to Europe that fueled instability.

Last month, after US airstrikes in eastern Syria's Deir Ez-Zour province, which came following a suspected Iranian drone attack that killed an American military contractor, Kanaani said the US claim to fight ISIS in Syria was false.

"The US claims that it is present in Syria to fight Daesh that itself had a major role in creating is just an excuse to continue its occupation and loot Syria's national wealth, including its energy resources and wheat," the spokesman said at the time.

In May last year, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, also accused the US of "using ISIS to create insecurity and ethnic rift" in neighboring Afghanistan.