The Obama administration has reportedly conditioned military intervention in Iraq on the resignation of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday Maliki’s government has asked the Obama administration to launch airstrikes on Sunni militants. General Martin Dempsey, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed Iraq’s request in Senate testimony.

Gen. Martin Dempsey: “Well, first of all, we have a request from the Iraqi government for air power. And—”

Sen. Lindsey Graham: “You do?”

Gen. Martin Dempsey: “We do. And we—”

Sen. Lindsey Graham: “Do you think it’s in our national security interest to honor that request?

Gen. Martin Dempsey: “It is in our national security interest to counter ISIL wherever we find them.”

According to a report in The Independent of London, the Obama administration has told senior Iraqi officials that it would intervene militarily only if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki left office. Maliki, who is Shiite, has been widely criticized for deepening Iraq’s sectarian divide. But speaking earlier today, a spokesperson for Maliki rejected calls for his resignation. Meanwhile in Washington, President Obama hosted top lawmakers to discuss whether he would need congressional approval for any military strikes in Iraq. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters he does not expect Obama to seek congressional authorization for additional military support to Iraq’s government.