World Leaders Pledge Military Support To Iraq In Fight Against ISIS

French President François Hollande says there is "no time to lose" in battle against militant group as the U.S. says Arab nations will join them in conducting airstrikes.

Foreign ministers from around the world converged at a summit in Paris to discuss a global response to the threat posed by militants for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Pool / Reuters

Leaders from around 40 countries, including Iraqi President Fouad Massoum and representatives from nine other Arab nations, have signed up to a coalition to tackle the rise of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the BBC reported.

The 30 countries attending the summit released a joint statement pledging to help Iraq fight ISIS "by all means necessary", including offering "appropriate military assistance".

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attended the meeting, following a short tour of the Middle East designed to build support in the Arab world for an anti-ISIS alliance.

The summit comes after British aid worker David Haines was beheaded in the group's most recent video of the killing of a Western hostage.

Speaking at the summit, French President François Hollande (left) said their was "no time to lose" in international efforts against ISIS.

John Schults / Reuters

He said: "The terrorist threat is global and the response must be global. The cowardly murder of David Haines is a terrifying example of what is going on. ... There is no time to lose."

Speaking to Europe 1 radio, Massoum (above, right) — who is co-hosting the summit with Hollande — said the international community must pursue ISIS wherever it operates.

"They must intervene quickly because they are late. If this intervention and support to Iraq is late, that means that Islamic State could occupy more territory and the threat it poses will be even bigger," he said.

U.S. officials speaking at the summit revealed that several Arab countries had agreed to assist them in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq, the BBC reported.

One country that won't be cooperating with U.S. action is Iran. The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, tweeted that Iran rejected an offer to cooperate against ISIS because the U.S. had itself been involved in "creating and spreading" terrorism. He said the U.S. planned to use the battle against ISIS to "dominate the region."

Khamenei.ir @khamenei_ir

I rejected US offer to #Iran abt #ISIS because US has corrupted its hands in this issue.Mr.Zarif rejected US Secretary of State’s offer too.

09:23 AM - 15 Sep 2014

Khamenei.ir @khamenei_ir

Our disagreement on #Iran’s cooperation with #US over #ISIS is because the US itself has been involved in creating & spreading #terrorism.

09:32 AM - 15 Sep 2014

Khamenei.ir @khamenei_ir

US goal in planning a war on #ISIS is to dominate the region& turn #Iraq& #Syria to #Pakistan where it can commit #crimes whenever it wants.

09:41 AM - 15 Sep 2014