US, Iran’s ‘special understanding’ on IS

The US and Iran reach a “special understanding” over the forthcoming offensive against the Islamic State terror organization in Tikrit, Iraqi political sources say, according to a report in pan-Arab paper Asharq Alawsat.

“Iran wanted to take part in the battle for Salah Al-Din and that is part of the special understanding that Tehran has reached with the Americans, with the knowledge of Baghdad, which included not requiring US aerial contribution [to the battle], even though there was a technical need for this,” a senior Iraqi political source is quoted by the paper as saying.

Salah al-Din is a Sunni-dominated governorate in Iraq where the US did not supply assistance from fighter jets, unlike in western and central Iraq where American air superiority greatly helps the anti-IS militias.

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