Ambassador says Obama has 'legal basis' to conduct airstrikes without U.N. OK

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power speaks at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, March 27, 2014. The draft resolution of the U.N. General Assembly on Ukraine is 'confrontational in nature', Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly ... more >

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said Sunday that the Obama administration has a 'legal basis' to proceed with airstrikes against terrorist groups in Syria without U.N. authorization.

'Consistent with the U.N. charter, we - it will depend on the facts and circumstances of any particular strike in Syria, but we have a legal basis we need,' Ms. Power said on ABC's 'This Week.'

At the behest of Secretary of State John Kerry, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Friday condemning terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State and calling for member states to aid the Iraqi government's efforts to combat the militants.

At the same time, no country has agreed to join a U.S. airstrike campaign, but Ms. Power predicted Sunday that 'we will not do the airstrikes alone if the president decides to do the airstrikes.'

She noted that France conducted airstrikes on Friday against an Islamic State logistics depot in Iraq.

Mr. Kerry said Friday that there is a role for 'nearly every country in the world to play, including Iran' in the fight against the Islamic State, but Ms. Power stressed that the Obama administration is 'not coordinating with Iran.'

'We are not sharing intelligence with Iran,' Ms. Power said. 'Iran has said that ISIL is its enemy, but by the same token Iran has supported Hezbollah and the Assad regime [in Syria].'

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani denounced the Islamic State's savage tactics, including the beheading of journalists, but also called the U.S.-led coalition group against the terrorist group 'ridiculous' in an interview last week with NBC News.