Iran’s Supreme Leader has approved co-operation with the US as part of the fight against Islamic State in northern Iraq, sources have told BBC Persian.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Khamenei has authorised his top commander to co-ordinate military operations with the US, Iraqi and Kurdish forces, sources in Tehran say.
Shia Iran regards the extremist Sunni Islamic State group, which views Shias as heretics, as a serious threat.
Iran has traditionally opposed US involvement in Iraq, an Iranian ally.
However last month US air strikes helped Iranian-backed Shia militia and Kurdish forces break a two-month siege by Islamic State (IS) of the Shia town of Amerli.