Iran president prepared to aid iraq in fight
TEHRAN — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that his government is prepared to assist Iraq in its fight against al-Qaeda-inspired militants and did not rule out cooperating with the United States against the new wave of extremism in Iraq.
“We are ready to help Iraq within the framework of international law, and if the Iraqi government and nation ask us to do so, we will consider it. But as of today, they have not asked us for any specific help,” Rouhani said, describing his relationship with Iraq’s prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, as “close and intimate.”
Food prices spike in Baghdad. In Baghdad, fallout from the stunning advance of militants in the north was beginning to affect daily life for the city’s 7 million inhabitants. Some food prices rose dramatically. Army troops went house-to-house searching for militants and weapons in neighborhoods close to vital government installations.
“We were not prepared for this sudden spike in the prices of foodstuff, vegetables and fuel,” said Yasser Abbas, a government employee from Baghdad’s eastern Sadr City district. “I do not know how the poor people in Baghdad will manage their life in the coming days. Hunger is as dangerous as bullets.”
U.S. ships move into gulf •WASHINGTON — A U.S. aircraft carrier was ordered to move into the Persian Gulf on Saturday as the United States laid out specific ways for Iraq to show it is forging the national unity necessary to gain assistance in its fight against Islamic insurgents.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the USS George H.W. Bush from the northern Arabian Sea as President Barack Obama considered possible military options for Iraq. Hagel’s press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said the move will give Obama additional flexibility if military action were required to protect American citizens and interests in Iraq.
Accompanying the carrier will be the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun. The ships, which carried Tomahawk missiles that could reach Iraq, were expected to complete their move into the Persian Gulf by the end of the day. The Bush’s fighter jets also could easily reach to Iraq.
