US working to protect Kurdistan infrastructure, warns against ‘militias’ in Iraq’s next government

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States on Thursday affirmed it is working “aggressively and quickly” with partners in Erbil and Baghdad to deploy defenses that protect the Kurdistan Region’s critical infrastructure following recent attacks.

In a briefing with a small group of journalists, including Rudaw’s, the US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris further stressed that excluding “Iran-enabled militias and terrorist groups” from Iraq’s next government is essential for maintaining a “strategic partnership” with Washington, while also urging Iraqi authorities to counter Tehran’s “illicit financing” and efforts to “steal Iraq’s wealth.”

Defenses for Kurdistan

The Khor Mor gas field in eastern Sulaimani came under attack in late November, striking a storage tank and disrupting 80 percent of the Kurdistan Region’s power supply for several days.

The assault drew widespread condemnation from Kurdish officials.

Falah Mustafa, special assistant to the president of the Kurdistan Region for foreign policy affairs, told Rudaw last week that Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani had "formally requested defense systems from the US" months ago.

"Washington responded to his request and has announced that they will try to establish that system in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region," Mustafa said.

The US Chargé d'affaires in Baghdad on Thursday reiterated Washington’s condemnation of the “outrageous terrorist attack” on Khor Mor, saying the United States is “in constant communication” with its partners in both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government and “stands together in calling for the urgency of accountability.”

Harris added that Washington is working “very aggressively and quickly” with partners in Erbil and Baghdad to “surge systems that protect critical infrastructure” and “counter the threat posed by Iran and its proxies,” whose “missiles and drones” threaten “economic cooperation” with the US as well as national and regional stability.

The senior US diplomat further stressed the need to address what he called the cause of the problem: “the proliferation of military capabilities in the hands of Iran-backed militias, which pose a threat to the safety of Americans and Iraqis alike,” emphasizing that Washington has been “very clear about the urgency of dismantling these groups.”

No militias in federal government

Iraq held its early legislative ballot on November 9, followed by the general vote on November 11. The final results were announced in mid-November, with the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework parties securing up some 179 seats of the 329-member legislature.

The Coordination Framework parties in mid-November declared they formed parliament’s largest bloc - a decisive step toward selecting the next premier.

However the Coordination Framework comprises political parties that are affiliated with armed groups blacklisted by Washington, including the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq-affiliated Sadiqoun bloc, the Kata’ib Hezbollah-affiliated Hoquq bloc, the Kata’ib al-Imam Ali-affiliated Services Alliance among others.

For his part, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Baghdad was unequivocal about Washington’s conditions for sustained cooperation with Iraq.

“We’ve been incredibly clear with our Iraqi partners that including militias or terrorist groups in the next Iraqi government is incompatible with a strong US-Iraq partnership,” he said, adding that such a move “would fundamentally undermine the strategic relationship” between the two nations.

He emphasized his confidence that “our Iraqi partners understand very well what will - and will not - move us forward.”

The top diplomat further noted that ongoing discussions with Iraqi officials highlight “the urgency of Iraq-led action to begin dismantling Iran-enabled militias and terrorist groups that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, threaten both us and Iraqi,” and serve “foreign agendas.”

Asked whether Washington would take military action if targeted by these groups, the Chargé d’Affaires underlined that “the United States will always take whatever actions are necessary, anywhere, to safeguard our interests.”

“President Trump has been very clear - he has laid out his vision of peace through strength,” Harris recounted.

On the economic front, the US Charge d’Affaires voiced deep concern over Iran’s economic activities in Iraq, accusing Tehran of illicit financing to “steal Iraq’s wealth” and fund destabilizing actions in the region.

He said Washington expects “Iraqi partners” to take decisive steps “to ensure that Iran is not able to manipulate the Iraqi economy” and “to address the serious challenge posed by Iranian terrorism and by Iran and its proxies.”

Kurdistan’s 10th cabinet

The Kurdistan Region held its long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2024, with the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) winning 39 seats in the 100-member legislature and its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), securing 23.

With no party gaining a majority, government-formation talks have stretched on for months, stalled by disputes over governance mechanisms and key positions.

Commenting on the ongoing negotiations between the Kurdistan Region’s ruling parties, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Baghdad said Washington is “closely following the conversations and efforts to find a unified path forward,” stressing that progress is urgently needed “given the significance of what is at stake in this region and within Iraq.”

“It is very important to move this conversation quickly,” he added.

The top US diplomat praised the “very special partnership” with Erbil, highlighting the importance of “our Kurdish friends” in bolstering Iraq’s sovereignty and securing its borders.

The Kurdish leadership’s voice is “crucial,” he said, adding, “We value it very much and believe that their engagement - both in the region and at the national level - is vital.”

Harris further highlighted the “long-term commitment” Washington has to ties with Erbil that became further apparent with the US inaugurating its largest American consulate in the world in the Kurdish capital city.

In late September, Erbil, Baghdad, and the international oil companies (IOCs) operating in the Kurdistan Region reached a tripartite agreement to resume Kurdish oil exports through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline.

Exports had been suspended since March 2023, when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad, finding that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to independently export oil beginning in 2014.

Harris confirmed on Thursday that the landmark agreement was “facilitated by the United States” and is “critically important as a step forward” that, if implemented, would support a mutually beneficial economic partnership, bolster energy security in Iraq and the wider region, and strengthen Iraq’s sovereignty.

However, he noted that “certain officials at the [Iraqi] ministry of oil have taken a series of actions that have undermined the implementation of this agreement,” adding that Washington is “in active dialogue with them” and emphasizing that the matter “needs urgent attention.”

He underlined the need for “full and transparent implementation of a landmark agreement,” saying, “We expect our Iraqi partners to fully adhere to the commitments that they have made.”

 

Ziyad Ismael contributed to this report from Baghdad.