A Revolutionary Guard commander says Iran has helped defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq.
"When Islamic State emerged in Iraq, no country offered assistance to destroy it," General Mohammad Ali Jafari said on February 14. "But Iran rushed to help the Iraqi nation to annihilate Islamic State."
Jafari said Iran has become a "torment" for the extremist group, adding that U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders had been "stunned" by what he described as the militants' defeat in Iraq.
The statement appeared to contradict Tehran's claims that it has no military presence in Iraq, although sectarian militias with ties to Iran are widely believed to be combating militants there.
Earlier this month, an Iranian general said he was prepared to begin training Iraqi military officers.
Iran and Iraq reached a security agreement in December that will reportedly increase military cooperation.
