The United States is reportedly considering direct talks with Iran regarding the security situation in Iraq, according to a US official speaking to the BBC. This development comes as President Barack Obama evaluates potential actions in the region, where Sunni militants have seized key cities and posted graphic images online appearing to show the massacre of Iraqi soldiers.
The Iraqi military has confirmed the authenticity of the photographs, which depict soldiers being led away and lying in trenches before and after their execution. If verified, this would be the largest single atrocity since the 2003 US-led invasion, according to BBC correspondent Jim Muir in northern Iraq.
Despite the Iraqi government claiming to have regained the initiative against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and its allies, the insurgents captured the northern city of Tal Afar overnight. Meanwhile, both the US and Iran share a common interest in curbing the threat posed by ISIS, and discussions could take place as early as this week, possibly on the sidelines of nuclear talks in Vienna.
The US has deployed the USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier to the Gulf but insists no ground troops will be committed. Reports also suggest more than 130 Iranian Revolutionary Guards are already in Iraq providing training and advice. The massacre images, allegedly posted by ISIS, show the aftermath of the capture of an army base in Tikrit, with sources claiming up to 1,000 personnel may have been executed.
