President of Iran: Iran 'will help Iraq' if asked

Iran's President Rouhani says Tehran is ready to help Iraq in its battle against extremist Sunni Islamists, but sending troops is not on the cards.

Speaking at a news conference, Mr Rouhani said his country would certainly help the Iraqi government if it asked for it.

He also did not discount the possibility of working with the US to restore security to Iraq, but only if Iran saw that Washington was confronting what he called terrorist groups in Iraq and elsewhere.