Iranian attack on Kurdistan Region sparks international condemnation

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The recent Iranian missile and drone attack targeting bases of exiled Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region on Monday were met with strong condemnations from the international community, calling on Tehran to cease its violations on Iraq and the Region’s sovereignty.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted bases of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) near Koya and Komala in Sulaimani’s Zargwez with missiles and drones on Monday, killing at least two and injuring eight others.

Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian later in the day, in which the former expressed his country’s position towards the repeated strikes and stressed the importance of holding dialogue to “stop this unjustified hostile escalation,” according to a statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.

The United States condemned the attacks that have “brazenly violated” the sovereignty of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, reiterating Washington’s support for Erbil and Baghdad.

“The United States stands with our partners in Baghdad and Erbil and shares the Government of Iraq’s objective to preserve the country’s security, stability, and sovereignty,” read a statement from US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.

The attacks were denounced by France, who said that the offensives threaten the stability of Iraq and the Middle East.

“We call for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected and reiterate our commitment to the stability of the autonomous region of Kurdistan,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iran’s regional rivals Saudi Arabia also condemned the recent strikes on the Kurdistan Region, expressing Riyadh’s “total rejection of all attacks that threaten the sovereignty, security, and stability of Iraq.”

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and the diplomatic missions of Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom also expressed condemnations for the attacks on Koya and Zargwez.

The Iranian strikes come as the country nears two months of nation-wide demonstrations, calling for the overthrow of the Islamic regime. Tehran has violently cracked down on the protests, killing at least 344 protesters and bystanders, including 52 children, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

In response to the strikes, the KDPI have called for general strikes across Iran and the country’s western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat) on Thursday, marking three months since the start of the demonstrations.