John Kerry, the US secretary of state, started a week-long tour of the Middle East and Europe yesterday to try to win support for the creation a new government in Iraq capable of bridging the sectarian tensions threatening to tear the country apart.
Mr Kerry will be seeking political cover from allies in the Gulf for possible US military action against Sunni militants in northern Iraq, while also trying to convince them that Washington does not plan to cede more ground in Iraq to Iran.
The diplomatic push follows President Barack Obama’s announcement on Thursday that the US would send 300 “military advisers” to Iraq and is considering “targeted air strikes” against the insurgents but is also pushing for political reform in Baghdad to engage disaffected Sunni.