William Hague is expected to herald a significant thawing of relations with Iran today as the West looks to Tehran to help ease the crisis in neighbouring Iraq.
The Foreign Secretary is set to hold out the prospect of Britain's embassy being reopened in a major step towards normalising diplomatic relations.
The move comes as the insurgency by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) rages on, with more evidence emerging of brutal executions. Baghdad has urged America and Britain to carry out airstrikes against the religious extremists and provide intelligence and counter-terrorism assistance.
President Barack Obama announced last night that around 275 military personnel could deploy to Iraq to provide support and security for the US embassy and its staff in Baghdad.
Secretary of state John Kerry has indicated that the administration is "open to discussions" with Iran if it can help end the violence and restore confidence in the Iraqi government, and he would not rule out military co-operation. Diplomats have already had initial contacts on the issue during nuclear talks in Austria.
On military co-operation, Mr Kerry said: "At this moment, I think we need to go step by step and see what, in fact, might be a reality. But I would not rule out anything that would be constructive in providing real stability, a respect for the constitution, a respect for the election process and a respect for the ability of the Iraqi people to form a government that represents all the interests of Iraq.
"We are open to any constructive process here that would minimise the violence."
Mr Hague spoke to his counterpart in Iran on Saturday and was told there was a "case for a further step forward in our bilateral relations".
The UK has had no diplomatic presence in Tehran since a mob ransacked the British embassy in 2011, but a senior envoy appointed as a non-resident charge d'affaires visited last year and the relationship between Iran and the West has thawed since the election of Hassan Rouhani as president.
Mr Hague, who updated MPs yesterday on the insurgency by militants from Isis, will return to the Commons today for the scheduled session of Foreign Office questions.
During yesterday's Commons appearance, he was asked by shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander about the "urgent case for ensuring an effective British diplomatic presence in Tehran".
Mr Hague said he had discussed "a number of matters, including the situation in Iraq" with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
"He said that there was a case for a further step forward in our bilateral relations. I have discussed that with him, and I shall have something more to say about our discussions imminently," Mr Hague told MPs.
"However, our work on that is distinct from discussions on Iraq, which is partly why I shall address those separately."
In a sign of Iran's deepening involvement in the Iraqi crisis, the Associated Press reported that the commander of the country's elite Quds Force is helping Iraq's military and Shiite militias respond to the insurgency.
Iranian general Ghasem Soleimani has been consulting in Iraq on how to roll back the al Qaida breakaway group, according to Iraqi security officials.
In his Commons statement yesterday, Mr Hague acknowledged that Britons will "inevitably" be fighting alongside the extremist group which has overrun large parts of northern Iraq.
Mr Hague said it was possible that Britons who travelled to Syria to fight in the country's bloody civil war could have joined Isis, which he called the "most violent and brutal militant group in the Middle East".
The Foreign Secretary repeated his position that there was no prospect of a British military intervention, but said counter-terrorism support could be offered to the government in Baghdad and a Ministry of Defence (MoD) team had been sent to the country to assist embassy staff in contingency planning.
He said: "We are taking action in three areas: promoting political unity among those who support a democratic Iraqi state and stability in the region; offering assistance where appropriate and possible; and alleviating humanitarian suffering.
"We have made it clear this does not involve planning a military intervention by the United Kingdom."
Giving further details of what UK involvement could be, Mr Hague said: "We are discussing with the Iraqi government areas for co-operation, including the possibility of offering counter-terrorism expertise.
"We are also providing consular assistance to a small number of British nationals who have been affected. For this purpose, a UK MoD operational liaison and reconnaissance team arrived in Baghdad on Saturday to help assess the situation on the ground and assist the embassy on contingency planning."
Zuhair al-Nahar, a spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, told the BBC that the world had a "duty to fight this terrorist scourge", and appealed for assistance from the US and Britain.
"The government and the armed forces and the volunteers have stopped any advance of the Isis terrorists. The Iraqi air force is carrying out continuous sorties and attacks on convoys and strategic areas of the terrorists," he said.
"However, Iraq needs all the support it can get. Iraq has asked the US for air strikes to be conducted, Iraq would like support in counter-terrorism, intelligence activities and advice and training.
"It is the duty of the world to support Iraq to fight this terrorist scourge that is destabilising the whole area. Not only that, it will also be a huge security threat to the West, because many of these terrorists have come from the West and will return radicalised and militarised and will pose a huge security threat."
He also asked for assistance from the UK, calling for help with " intelligence capabilities, training capabilities, pressure - political pressure on countries that are supporting this terrorist group that are a scourge on this whole area."
Mr al-Nahar said Isis was being bankrolled by people in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
"In addition, by essentially occupying the city of Mosul, they have also raided the central bank and have acquired approximately 1.5 billion dollars, so they are the richest terrorist organisation in the world," he said.
"They are a force that needs to be tackled by the world and it needs to be done now.
"The Iraqi government and armed forces and volunteers are doing the best they can, but the world has a responsibility to support Iraq."
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/iraq-hague-reveal-uk-iran-talks-235148225.html
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