ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian establishment cannot be changed “through bombings” or “the killing of leaders,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani affirmed in remarks published Friday, adding that the only way forward is through diplomacy. The top Kurdish figure also denied claims that the Kurds were asked to “intervene militarily” in Iran, reasserting that Kurdistan is not a party to the war.
In an interview published Friday by the prominent Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, President Barzani stated that “there is no military solution to the Iranian crisis,” adding that the current establishment cannot be changed “through bombings” and that “even the killing of leaders has achieved little because substitutes are appointed immediately.”
He noted that the Iranian system “is a unique combination of religion and nationalism” and that the 39-day war “has united them.”
President Barzani also stressed that “the only way forward now is diplomacy,” noting that patience is required, given the cultural differences between the Iranian mindset - which is detail-oriented - and the American approach, which seeks rapid resolutions.
The US and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran on February 28, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting on Tuesday that the operation - dubbed Operation Epic Fury - involved strikes on more than 13,000 targets across Iran, focusing on sites deemed to “pose an imminent threat.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported Friday that it carried out nearly 11,000 strikes targeting more than 6,700 components and 4,000 sites in Iran as part of its operation, dubbed Operation Roaring Lion.
In response, Tehran has launched thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as carrying out retaliatory attacks against Israel.
A Pakistan-brokered, two-week ceasefire came into effect Tuesday to allow space for negotiations, which are set to begin in Islamabad on Saturday.
However, uncertainty has emerged over the anticipated talks in the past two days after the Israeli military said Wednesday it had carried out “more than 100” strikes within 10 minutes against what it claimed were positions belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Beirut rejected the claim, with its health ministry reporting late Thursday that Israeli strikes killed more than 300 people and injured around 2,000 others - mostly civilians - according to preliminary figures.
Iranian officials have since threatened to withdraw from the Islamabad talks if Israeli strikes in Lebanon continue.
President Barzani on Friday described the Israeli strikes in Lebanon as “a mistake” that “should stop immediately to ensure the stability of the ceasefire,” adding that Israel is “not just attacking Hezbollah, but also damaging the country’s infrastructure.
“Everything must be done to consolidate the ceasefire,” the Kurdish president underlined.
The Iranian response to the joint US-Israeli campaign has also involved Iraqi armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ with several factions claiming responsibility for attacks on alleged US targets in the region, including in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
According to Rudaw tracking as of Friday, the Kurdistan Region has endured more than 700 drone and missile attacks, killing over a dozen people and injuring more than 90 others.
President Barzani expressed discontentment with Baghdad’s efforts to rein in the perpetrators of these attacks.
“We are not satisfied; they are not doing enough,” he said, adding that Iraq “will not be stable” if armed groups remain out of control.
Moreover, the Kurdish leader denied reports that the US had asked the Kurds to intervene in the Iran war, affirming, “No one has ever asked us Kurds to intervene militarily in Iran.
“Regardless, we are opposed to using our territory as a base against our neighbors,” President Barzani asserted, reiterating that Kurdistan is not a party to the war.
In an interview published Friday by the prominent Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, President Barzani stated that “there is no military solution to the Iranian crisis,” adding that the current establishment cannot be changed “through bombings” and that “even the killing of leaders has achieved little because substitutes are appointed immediately.”
He noted that the Iranian system “is a unique combination of religion and nationalism” and that the 39-day war “has united them.”
President Barzani also stressed that “the only way forward now is diplomacy,” noting that patience is required, given the cultural differences between the Iranian mindset - which is detail-oriented - and the American approach, which seeks rapid resolutions.
The US and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran on February 28, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting on Tuesday that the operation - dubbed Operation Epic Fury - involved strikes on more than 13,000 targets across Iran, focusing on sites deemed to “pose an imminent threat.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported Friday that it carried out nearly 11,000 strikes targeting more than 6,700 components and 4,000 sites in Iran as part of its operation, dubbed Operation Roaring Lion.
In response, Tehran has launched thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - as well as carrying out retaliatory attacks against Israel.
A Pakistan-brokered, two-week ceasefire came into effect Tuesday to allow space for negotiations, which are set to begin in Islamabad on Saturday.
However, uncertainty has emerged over the anticipated talks in the past two days after the Israeli military said Wednesday it had carried out “more than 100” strikes within 10 minutes against what it claimed were positions belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Beirut rejected the claim, with its health ministry reporting late Thursday that Israeli strikes killed more than 300 people and injured around 2,000 others - mostly civilians - according to preliminary figures.
Iranian officials have since threatened to withdraw from the Islamabad talks if Israeli strikes in Lebanon continue.
President Barzani on Friday described the Israeli strikes in Lebanon as “a mistake” that “should stop immediately to ensure the stability of the ceasefire,” adding that Israel is “not just attacking Hezbollah, but also damaging the country’s infrastructure.
“Everything must be done to consolidate the ceasefire,” the Kurdish president underlined.
The Iranian response to the joint US-Israeli campaign has also involved Iraqi armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ with several factions claiming responsibility for attacks on alleged US targets in the region, including in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
According to Rudaw tracking as of Friday, the Kurdistan Region has endured more than 700 drone and missile attacks, killing over a dozen people and injuring more than 90 others.
President Barzani expressed discontentment with Baghdad’s efforts to rein in the perpetrators of these attacks.
“We are not satisfied; they are not doing enough,” he said, adding that Iraq “will not be stable” if armed groups remain out of control.
Moreover, the Kurdish leader denied reports that the US had asked the Kurds to intervene in the Iran war, affirming, “No one has ever asked us Kurds to intervene militarily in Iran.
“Regardless, we are opposed to using our territory as a base against our neighbors,” President Barzani asserted, reiterating that Kurdistan is not a party to the war.
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