Tehran , Iran ( CNN ) The Basij is a militia made up of fighters loyal to Iran 's religious leaders ; their mission is to protect the country 's Islamic order . To do that , they will go to any lengths necessary , including -- they say -- taking on ISIS . `` We all are prepared to go and destroy ISIS totally , '' one Basij commander told CNN . `` If our Imam , our Supreme Leader orders us , we will destroy ISIS . '' The commander says that , so far , the Basij has not been caught up in the fight against the feared Islamic extremists currently waging war in parts of Iraq and Syria . But Iran 's elite Revolutionary Guard 's Quds Force , led by General Qassem Suleimani , is already training , advising and supporting Iraqi Shia militias in their fight against ISIS . Suleimani was accused of involvement in the Shia insurgency against U.S. forces during the Iraq war . Today he is a celebrity to many Iraqis and Iranians . That is symbolic of the gulf that still exists between Iran and the U.S. , regardless of any thaw in relations in the wake of the recent agreement on a framework nuclear deal and ongoing talks . Iran , militias ' involvement in ISIS fight a mixed blessing . Iranian officials , who believe their strategy is making a difference in the fight against ISIS , say they would like better cooperation with the U.S. , but point out that the level of trust simply is n't there . `` At the moment , we consider the United States to be a threat to us because its policies and actions are threatening to us , '' said General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan , commander of Iran 's ground forces . `` We would like the US to change its rhetoric and tone of voice so that our nation could have more trust in U.S. military leadership . '' And the feeling is mutual : the U.S. , which is leading the air campaign against ISIS in Iraq , has denied any direct coordination with Iran . Iran will do what it takes to fight ISIS . Iranians believe air strikes against ISIS are not effective , and feel that the U.S. and its allies are not trying seriously enough to defeat the group . Iran 's President Hassan Rouhani told CNN 's Christiane Amanpour last September that `` the aerial bombardment campaign is mostly ... a form of theater , rather than a serious battle against terrorism . '' `` The battle in Iraq is very important to Iran , '' explained Mohammed Marandi , a professor at Tehran University . `` The Iranians believe that the Americans , if they wanted to , could do a lot more to put pressure on their allies . And also , if they were serious about air strikes , they could do a lot more . '' It 's a point the U.S. , of course , disagrees with -- U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to `` degrade and ultimately defeat '' the terror group . But Iran remains unconvinced . `` If they want to destroy ISIS , it is possible for them to achieve that , '' said Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi , Iran 's chief of general staff . `` The U.S. military and intelligence organizations have many ways to strike at ISIS , but we have not seen anything so far except intelligence gathering from the U.S. and Britain , '' he said . `` We hope that one day , because of their national interests and the will of their nations , the U.S. and the UK will decide to really fight ISIS . '' In ISIS , Iran and the U.S. share a common enemy , but -- for now at least -- no apparent common strategy.Will Iran-Saudi proxy war erupt ?
Iran 's elite ISIS is training , advising and supporting Iraqi Shia militias in their fight against ISIS . Iranian officials say they would like better cooperation with the U.S. , but say trust between the nations is lacking .