During today’s U.N. General Assembly meeting, CCTV America’s Asieh Namdar asked Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about what he believes are specific ways to fight terrorist groups.

Asieh Namdar: “You have suggested aerial bombing of ISIS is not the way to go. You have said that Islamic nations should take the lead. Critics would say it’s really easy to sit on the outside and perhaps criticize the U.S. strategy, but does Iran have specific steps, specific ideas about how to fight the threat of ISIS?”

Hassan Rouhani: “My opinion is solely and simply, that the countries of the region know and recognize better, and more in depth, the reason for the rise of such phenomenons. The opinion must emanate from them; the strategy must emanate from them because they’re from the region. For the country that is affected by this terrorism, the first request will naturally go to the neighboring country. Our experience goes back to Afghanistan. Prior to 2001, Afghanistan requested our assistance, and other neighboring countries… we have had the same experience. And in the most recent experience, in the very first days of that onslaught of the terrorist group through northern Iraq, we received a request from the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people. We entered the scene, you do know. Everyone is fully aware that the people of Iraq succeeded in freeing themselves, admirably, from the hands of the savage terrorists [IS] with the assistance and help of Iran, and with the help from Iran, prevented Erbil and Baghdad from falling.”