11.28pm BST

We're going to wrap up our live blog coverage for the day. Here's a summary of where things stand:

• President Obama said in a speech at the White House earlier today that the US would deploy up to 300 "military advisers" to Iraq, but he said "American forces will not be returning to combat in Iraq."

• The president said Iraq risked falling into "the abyss" if the Baghdad government did not become more inclusive of Sunni and Kurdish factions. "The fate of Iraq hangs in the balance," Obama said.

• US secretary of state John Kerry will travel to Europe and the Middle East next week to "consult with our allies and partners" on Iraq, he said.



• President Obama said Iran could play a "constructive role" in Iraq if it helped build an inclusive Iraqi government, but not if it came in "as an armed force on behalf of the Shia".

• Iraqi security forces continued to struggle against Isis for control of the Baiji oil refinery in northern Iraq. A satellite image of the refinery showed a column of black smoke rising miles above the site.

• Nouri al-Maliki's government rejected calls for the prime minister to quit. This as Obama side-stepped a question about Maliki's leadership, saying Iraq must pick its own leaders.