Iraq exacerbates America-Russia standoff on destroying Islamic State

America and its 62 nation coalition is becoming increasingly isolated and irrelevant as Russia maintains its airstrikes in Syria and has now commenced firing cruise missiles from warships in the Caspian Sea 1500 kilometres away.

Russia is presently contemplating entering Iraq if requested by Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi - who had reportedly indicated last week that he would welcome a Russian bombing campaign to destroy Islamic State's presence in Iraq.

Abadi then said Russian strikes were a "possibility" but had not been discussed.

Russia's Foreign Minister – Sergei Lavrov - made Russia's position clear on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly:

We are polite people. We don't come if not invited.

Lavrov's comment was clearly critical of the American coalition's air strikes in Syria having being undertaken without any invitation from President Assad – dubiously being justified by America as legal to defend Iraq's territorial sovereignty against further incursions by Islamic State from Syria.

Now just one week later Abadi has upped the ante - reportedly saying he would welcome Russian airstrikes in Iraq if they were coordinated with the American-led coalition and that he sought to maintain cordial relations with both America and Russia.

He called the American-led coalition "a small help"– adding:

This doesn't mean that I reject the small help. Even the one single bomb would be helpful to me.

President Obama would not have been very impressed with Abadi's mean-spirited disparaging comment.

The American-led coalition has been bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq for more than a year - but Iraqi officials have repeatedly complained that their efforts are insufficient to decisively turn back Islamic State. The United States has spent more than $25 billion training and equipping Iraq's military.

Valentina Matviyenko - head of Russia's Federation Council - the upper house of parliament – said this week: