--- title: John Kerry Rules Out Iraq Air Strikes by Obama description: Top American diplomat warns against strikes in a power vacuum canonical: https://time.com/2917384/iraq-kerry-obama-airstrikes/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-24T15:26:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:35:28.301Z article:section: Politics og:title: John Kerry Rules Out Iraq Air Strikes by Obama og:description: Top American diplomat warns against strikes in a power vacuum og:url: https://time.com/2917384/iraq-kerry-obama-airstrikes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt631c396f16cd0cc2/698698ff361760013090cc48/451138188.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Erbil, Iraq on June 24, 2014. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Kerry Rules Out Iraq Air Strikes by Obama twitter:description: Top American diplomat warns against strikes in a power vacuum twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt631c396f16cd0cc2/698698ff361760013090cc48/451138188.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kerry Says U.S. Air Strikes in Iraq Would Be 'Act of Irresponsibility' ## Video: Kerry on Iraq: Would Like to See Leadership [Watch (HLS stream): Kerry on Iraq: Would Like to See Leadership](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Ap5BqQUO.m3u8) (0:27)  _Published 2014-06-23_  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jun 24, 2014 3:26 PM UTC  US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Erbil, Iraq on June 24, 2014. US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Erbil, Iraq on June 24, 2014.Hamit Husein—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jun 24, 2014 3:26 PM UTC Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday [ruled out](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-kerry-on-iraq-no-decision-on-american-force-in-a-vacuum/) U.S. air strikes in Iraq so long as its government remains fractured along sectarian lines and incapable of combating extremist Sunni militants who are capturing towns in the country’s north. Kerry [told](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-kerry-on-iraq-no-decision-on-american-force-in-a-vacuum/) CBS News that the U.S. military was prepared to provide assistance to Iraqi troops, but launching air strikes at this moment would constitute “a complete and total act of responsibility.” “There’s no government, there’s no backup, there’s no military, there’s nothing there that provides the capacity for success,” Kerry said. His remarks appeared to walk back [comments made the day before](http://time.com/2911208/iraq-john-kerry/), when he suggested the progress my fighters from the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) could force U.S. action. Kerry is in Iraq this week meeting with the country’s leaders and urging them to form a more inclusive government. \[[_CBS_](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-kerry-on-iraq-no-decision-on-american-force-in-a-vacuum/)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2917384/iraq-kerry-obama-airstrikes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2917384/iraq-kerry-obama-airstrikes/"},"headline":"Kerry Says U.S. Air Strikes in Iraq Would Be 'Act of Irresponsibility'","datePublished":"2014-06-24T15:26:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:35:28.301Z","description":"Top American diplomat warns against strikes in a power vacuum","url":"https://time.com/2917384/iraq-kerry-obama-airstrikes/","keywords":["Foreign Policy","Iraq","ISIS","John F. 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