BAGHDAD: In a recent development, Iraq has initiated actions to relocate Iranian Kurdish opposition groups away from the shared border with Iran, according to the country’s chief diplomat. This move comes in response to a warning from Iran, urging its neighbor to take action on the matter.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced during a press conference that the necessary measures have been taken to remove these groups from the border areas, and they have been settled in distant camps in the centre of Kurdistan, an autonomous region in northern Iraq.
The roots of this situation can be traced back to a series of deadly missile and drone strikes launched by Tehran on Iraq’s Kurdistan region roughly a year ago. These strikes coincided with protests erupting in Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who was arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code imposed by the Islamic Republic. Tehran accused the Kurdish groups based in Iraq of instigating these protests.
Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region has long hosted camps and rear bases operated by various Iranian Kurdish factions, which Iran has accused of serving Western or Israeli interests in the past. In March, both countries signed a “security” agreement aimed at addressing border-related issues.
Under the terms of this agreement, Tehran stipulated that Iraq should disarm these groups by September 19, remove them from their current bases, and transfer them to camps. Nasser Kanani, the Foreign Ministry spokesman for Iran, made it clear that the September 19 deadline was non-negotiable and that Iran would take action if Iraq did not comply.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, while acknowledging that Iraq has initiated the agreement’s implementation, emphasized during his press conference that Iraq expects Iran not to resort to violence against Kurdistan or infringe upon Iraq’s sovereignty.
Hussein further explained that negotiations with Iran would primarily focus on preventing these opposition groups from crossing the border and using weapons against the Iranian government. Additionally, the talks would address the importance of avoiding threats of violence and bombings in specific areas of Iraqi Kurdistan.
