One country that opposes ISIS but is not attending the conference here is Iran. The French government had initially opened the door to a possible role by Iran, but American officials were concerned that this might have precluded Saudi Arabia and some Sunni states from attending. So Mr. Kerry opposed the idea, noting that Iran’s paramilitary Quds Force has been supporting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
“Under the circumstances, at this moment in time, it would not be right,” Mr. Kerry said on Friday during a visit to Ankara, Turkey, adding that he had not been consulted about the idea of including Iran. “Iran has been deeply involved with its forces on the ground in Syria.”
Iran, for its part, criticized the Paris conference and argued that representatives from the Assad government should be included in any coordinated international strategy against ISIS.
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