In another meeting, President Rouhani told his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall that Tehran embraces the closer ties with African countries, saying, “We welcome the promotion of relations with Dakar in all areas”.

That seems to be changing, as the Iraqi military announced plans to increase cooperation with both Syria and Russian Federation, along with Iran, in an attempt to better coordinate the regional war against ISIS.

Kerry also discussed Syria with Iran’s foreign minister during a meeting at the United Nations on Saturday. Iran and Russian Federation, like the USA, are fervently opposed to ISIS, but Russia’s intentions are so far unclear.

Administration decisions on a series of proposed adjustments to its strategy against the Islamic State have been put on hold pending more information about Russia’s intentions in Syria and President Barack Obama’s desire for clarification of the proposals themselves, according to senior administration officials.

It follows last week’s Russia’s forward deployment of warplanes at Latakia, in western Syria.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today he saw a widespread acceptance among major powers that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should stay in office.

Russian Federation and Iran, Assad’s other principal ally, have repeatedly countered US insistence that Assad must negotiate his own demise by asking what political alternative Washington proposes.

In another part of his speech, Rouhani said Iran offered stability in a region that had witnessed wars, revolutions and natural disaster.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman said Friday: “We do not think it is credible for Assad to remain for any length of time as the leader”, but added: “We appreciate there may be a political solution here where Assad is there for some period of time in some capacity while a transition takes place”. “He is one of the great recruiting sergeants for Isil,” he said.

The $500 million training program, designed to insert thousands of fighters to combat the Islamic State on the other side of Syria from the west along the Turkish border, has been fraught with problems.

Rouhani, speaking to Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep in an interview to be aired on Monday, also says that Iran is prepared to discuss options for Syria after the Islamic State is defeated, but that those allied against ISIS must first come together to “drive out the terrorists“. “We have got a long way to go in that conversation”, the official said.

France had until now only struck Islamic State targets in neighboring Iraq.

Labour have attempted to paper over the cracks of its deep divisions on Syria with a call for the Government to get behind a new United Nations resolution to bring the conflict to an end.

Months ago Iran produced a proposal to end the Syrian conflict, which has claimed more than 250,000 lives, and Rouhani said it is still under discussion with some unnamed countries.