Iraq crisis: US considers talks with Iran

MONDAY 16 JUNE 2014

The United States is preparing to open direct dialoge !ith "ran to discss the
ongoing crisis in "ra#$ a%ter photos e&erge that appear to sho! Snni e'tre&ists
&assacring captred "ra#i soldiers(
Photo: Volunteers join the Iraqi army to fight against the radical Isis (Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant)
A US official has reortedly said that the US !as considering tal"s !ith Iran#
its longtime adversary# a$out ho! $est to tac"le the escalating crisis in
Iraq%
&he 'all Street (ournal reorted on Sunday that 'ashington !as rearing
to oen tal"s !ith Iran on !ays to ush $ac" the militants%
Iraq)s Prime *inister +uri al,*ali"i is struggling to reel militants !ho have
sei-ed several cities% .n Sunday# the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(Isis) osted horrific hotos online# one of !hich aeared to sho! a firing
squad e/ecuting Iraqi soldiers (see $elo!)%
&he set of hotos have not $een indeendently verified# $ut the Iraqi
military said they !ere authentic and the US condemned the images as
0horrific0%
.ther hotos sho! hooded Sunni militants herding catured Iraqi men# in
civilian clothes# !ith their hands tied%
1iting senior US officials# the 'all Street (ournal said that the dialogue
$et!een the US and Iran !as e/ected to $egin this !ee"% It comes as the
US and other !orld o!ers strive for an agreement !ith &ehran to cur$ its
nuclear rogram%
2ead more: Sunnia and Shias , the "ey questions
*ilitants from Isis have s!et through to!ns in the &igris valley north of
3aghdad in recent days $ut aeared to have halted their advance outside
3aghdad as they tightened their gri on the north%
Insurgents sei-ed the mainly ethnic &ur"men to!n of &al Afar in north !est
Iraq on Sunday after heavy fighting%
2esidents reached $y telehone in the city of &al Afar said it had fallen to
the re$els after a $attle that sa! heavy casualties on $oth sides%
Hassan Rouhani @HassanRouhani
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World should unite against #terrorism. They're enemies of #democracy in our
region--committing inhuman atrocities in the name of Islam.#ISIS
3:49 AM - 14 Jun 2014
"The city was overrun by militants. Severe fighting took place, and many people were killed.
Shi'ite families have fled to the west and Sunni families have fled to the east," said a city
official who asked not to be identified.
US officials said it !as not certain
!hich dilomatic channel the
.$ama administration !ould use
!ith Iran for any discussions
a$out Iraq# the (ournal reorted%
.ne ossi$ility !as through
Vienna# the aer said# !here
senior US and Iranian officials are
scheduled to meet !ith other !orld o!ers on *onday to negotiate limits
on Iran)s nuclear caa$ilities%
Video: 4u$ad &ala$ani# the son of President &ala$ani of Iraq tells 15 +e!s:
)&he Iraq !e "ne! has come to an end)