Iran has taken command of Iraq’s crumbling armed forces to help organise the fightback against hardline militants who have seized large swathes of the country.

Major-General Qassem Suleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds force, is now running operations, a top Iraqi official revealed yesterday.

Suleimani, who travelled to Baghdad last week with 67 of his top advisers, “is in charge of arming, deploying forces, weaponry and planning the battles”, the source said. “He also brought light and medium weapons, rockets, heavy machineguns and lots of ammunition.”

News of Iran’s role came as its president, Hassan Rouhani, held out the prospect of an alliance with America, Tehran’s old enemy, to fight Isis — the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham. Asked if Iran would co-operate