With Islamic State on the rampage throughout northern Iraq, the international community is tossing and turning with ideas on how to deal with this latest threat to an already unstable region. Iraq’s powerful neighbor has voiced one solution. In fact, it considers it the only solution.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani used the platform of the United Nations General Assembly to tout Iran as the sole viable solution to the Islamic State threat. The speech was an effort by Iran to tarnish international efforts to defeat Islamic State, and thereby build support for Iran to take on a peacekeeper role in the broader Middle East.

Early in the speech, Rouhani took time to discredit the West and its attempts to confront Islamic State. “The strategic blunders of the West in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus have turned these parts of the world into a haven for terrorists and extremists,” Rouhani declared. Placing the blame for the rise of radical Islam squarely on the shoulders of the West, Rouhani’s brazen statement waved away the effectiveness of airstrikes and any action that might follow.

Rouhani went on to explain America’s “erroneous strategic approach” not just to Islamic State, but in the Middle East as a whole. “We [Iran] have always believed that democracy cannot be transplanted from abroad,” Rouhani said. “Democracy leads only to a weak and vulnerable government.”

Of course, the United States has been attempting to establish democracies throughout the Middle East for years, and the current problem with Islamic State is proof of its shortcomings. But what Rouhani would like everyone to believe is that Iran did not have a role in that as well—despite Iran’s instrumental support of Islamic State during its early days. Instead, Tehran would be quite happy to have the international community believe it is a key part of the solution, not the cause.

Rouhani’s argument to the UN was that “moderate” Iran can have a positive influence over Iraq and the region. He stated, “These moderates can win the people by establishing the strongest coalitions against violence.” This is Tehran tactics 101. It is the same “moderate card” that has worked wonders for Rouhani in recent months. Duping the world into thinking he is a moderate—and thereby an accurate representative of a suddenly “moderate” Iran—Rouhani is attempting to sell the idea that Iran can be trusted to selflessly help bring an end to the tumult in the Middle East.

This is a fallacy. Although Rouhani appears to be a voice of moderation, don’t forget what lies behind him. Peering over Rouhani’s shoulder are the droves of radical Imams, stirring up hatred against the West and its efforts in the region. Then there is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, with its international terrorist Quds Force already in Iraq. And, of course, you have radical Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, constantly calling for the destruction of the West and America—the “Great Satan.” This hostile environment is set against the backdrop of Iran’s ongoing nuclear program.

Iran is not looking at the Islamic State threat as a problem that could reunite Iran with the world. It is looking at this as an opportunity to take control of Iraq! Iran’s regional policies historically have been anything but moderate. Iran’s Quds Force aggressively pushes Iranian regional ambitions from Lebanon to Afghanistan.

Iraq makes up a sizable portion of the Shia Crescent that extends from Iran to Lebanon. Take that away, and Iran is cut off from its allies to Iraq’s West. Iran’s strategy for the Middle East is to gain more power in Iraq—and to keep peacekeepers out.

Iran wants the opportunity to intervene in Iraq, but it is also using the Islamic State issue to get the world to ask for its help.

Bible prophecy states that Iran will achieve a degree of success. Whether the international community allows Iran to take the lead in dealing with Islamic State, or whether it dominates the region through other means, Iran will become king of the region.

To understand why this power is destined to keep growing in strength, read our article “Three Reasons Why Iran Is the ‘King of the South’ of Bible Prophecy.”