Iran president: Syria strikes "questionable"

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday the U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria were "questionable" and was especially critical of the Gulf states that participated in the attack.

However, he appeared tepid in his support for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a longtime ally of Tehran.

When asked by CBS News if Iran was re-evaluating its relationship with Assad, Rouhani called the relationship a "time-management" issue, according to the provided translation of his remarks.

"When do we fight terrorism? ... When do we announce our opposition to the central government?" he said, adding that it's "not realistic" to do the second before the first.

Rouhani , speaking at an annual meeting with editors and executives alongside the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, also said Syrian refugees need to be "repatriated," and Syria "secured ... with stability" before the "opposition" can be engaged and the "central government" opposed.

The suggestion that the opposition even had a case to be heard is notable given Tehran's staunch support of Assad in the past. Rouhani did, however, point to the recent Syrian elections as a measure of Assad's legitimacy, though the elections were panned by critics as a sham..

Regarding the fight against ISIS, Rouhani called the militants "savages" and said Iran was "taking the fight to terrorists" in the region. The comments offered a sharp contrast to Tehran's efforts earlier this year to "safeguard Baghdad" with initial moves by the U.S. to secure "our own personnel and installations" there.

However, the Iranian president was particularly critical of the Arab nations that participated in the airstrikes, noting that such attacks funded and "justified the creation of these groups" such as ISIS. Rouhani called the airstrikes "not something that's easily digestible."

Rouhani was also asked about the situation of the Washington Post's Jason Rezaian --a dual citizen jailed with his wife in Iran under opaque circumstances. The newspaper's editor, Marty Baron, appealed directly to Rouhani to free Rezaian, calling him a "good journalist" who has not been charged.

Rouhani said he was "quite optimistic" the situation would be resolved but stopped short of calling for his release. He also refused to comment about the contention that hardliners extended Rezaian's detention through U.N. week to embarrass Rouhani and degrade his effectiveness on the world stage.

Rouhani largely downplayed the long-stalled negotiations over its nuclear program, but expressed confidence that a deal would be reached.

"A final resolution is to the betterment of the region ... and the world at large," he said.