White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest would not confirm a Thursday report by the New York Times that the United States is weighing military strikes in Iraq.
"There are no American military solutions to the problems in Iraq," Earnest said during a press briefing. "These problems can only be solved with Iraqi political solutions.”
According to the Times report, the administration is considering using airstrikes as well as airdrops of medicine and food to assist the 40,000 religious minorities trapped on Mount Sinjar in Iraq.
The Associated Press offered further details on the crisis:
President Barack Obama huddled with his national security team Thursday morning to discuss the crisis stemming from a Sunni extremist group's gains in Iraq's north. Furthering their gains, the militants seized Iraq's largest dam Thursday, placing them in control of enormous power and water resources and access to the river that runs through the heart of Baghdad.
While the White House did not publicly outline the range of options under consideration, officials said the U.S. strongly condemns the extremists' assault on minorities, including the Yazidis, who follow an ancient religion with ties to Zoroastrianism, and Christians.
"The situation is nearing a humanitarian catastrophe," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. "We are gravely concerned for their health and safety."
Among the most pressing concerns is the plight of the Yazidis, who fled the Kurdish town of Sinjar in recent days. Thousands fled their homes for the mountains after the Islamic State group issued an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death.
If Obama were to approve humanitarian assistance to the Yazidis and others, it could be delivered via air drops by the U.S. military. The military could also advise and assist the Iraqi air force on where and how to deliver humanitarian relief supplies.
The people familiar with the administration's thinking insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter by name.
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