Iranian president calls Syria strikes illegal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday called the U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria illegal, noting they took place without authorization from the United Nations or Syria. 

Rouhani, speaking to NBC News from New York, said the newly announced strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria differ from the ongoing U.S. military campaign in Iraq, because Iraq has given its permission. 

{mosads}The State Department said it informed the Syrian government of the strikes but did not coordinate with the country.

Separately, The Iranian president said he would likely not meet with President Obama during the United Nations General Assembly this week.  

“I do believe this meeting will probably not take place,” he told NBC. 

The White House had previously said it did not expect a meeting between the two leaders. Last year, the two leaders spoke by phone after the General Assembly.

The United States and other countries are engaged in nuclear negotiations with Iran. The White House has said it would make no concessions in the talks in exchange for the country’s help combating ISIS.

“These are two separate matters that will be resolved separately,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday. 

The United States announced 14 strikes against ISIS targets in Syria on Monday night. It had the help of a number of Arab countries, including Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 

Those strikes were the first launched in Syria. More than 190 other strikes have been conducted in Iraq since August. 

Speaking from the White House on Tuesday, President Obama said he was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with other Arab allies in the fight against ISIS, saying the coalition proved “this is not America’s fight alone.”