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President Barack Obama has said that Russia’s Syrian strategy is a recipe for disaster as President Vladimir Putin failed to differentiate between Islamic State militants and moderate groups who oppose the regime of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of “harsh” measures if the kingdom failed to promptly repatriate the bodies of the Islamic Republic’s dead.

The Russians had told their American counterparts that their efforts would be directed against ISIS, and that, apparently, was good enough.

“So far, the problem has been that Russian Federation and Iran have not been able to contemplate the end state of Syria without Assad“, Cameron said, adding that he would work with any country to defeat Islamic State militants.

And he scorned Iran’s involvement in Russia’s putative alliance, describing Tehran as an “occupying power” in Syria and accusing it of fomenting terrorism and extremism across the region. “The only way to solve this problem at a fundamental...

The strikes come hours after Vladimir Putin was given permission to use military force in Syria by his country’s parliament.

A military source told Fox News Wednesday that Russian officials issued a demarche, ordering US planes out of Syria. France and Turkey have previously carried out airstrikes against terror groups in Syria, as part of a U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition.

Rouhani said that Iran would continue “peace-seeking efforts in the region” after having signed a deal on its nuclear program.

Washington has demanded that Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad step down, but Putin’s rival alliance with Shiite-led states will instead shore up the beleaguered government in Damascus.

Iraq says the cooperation is a result of “increased Russian concern about the presence of thousands of terrorists from Russia undertaking criminal acts with the Islamic State”.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State in Iraq, Colonel Steve Warren, says the US objects to Syria being part of the intelligence-sharing group.

He is due to tell leaders at a summit in New York that Mr Assad could remain temporarily in power at the head of a transitional government.

President Obama spoke before Putin at the General Assembly, but his remarks may as well have been a direct response to Putin.

In his speech, Putin was expected to emphasise Russia’s efforts to resolve the Syrian civil war and combat the Islamic State extremist group, contrasting it with the US-led military campaign in Iraq and Syria.

He said Syrian peace is a priority, and suggested that he would be willing to negotiate with Assad to secure the future of the country.