Middle East
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani (right) and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (left). File photo: Kurdistan Region Presidency
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Saturday held a phone call to discuss the latest regional security escalation and its implications for stability across the Middle East amid US and Israeli coordinated attacks on Iran.
“The latest security escalations in the region and their impact on the security and stability of the region were discussed,” the Kurdistan Region Presidency said in a statement.
“Both emphasized the importance of strengthening regional and international coordination to protect the region's security,” added.
The call came amid a sharp escalation following American and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier Saturday and Iran’s subsequent response, which affected several Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. United States President Donald Trump addressed the Iranian people on Sunday, saying, “When we are finished, take over your government - it will be yours to take.”
According to a separate statement from Syria’s foreign ministry, the call included a “discussion of developments in the Iranian-Israeli escalation and its repercussions, and ways to enhance regional and international coordination to contain the crisis.”
The escalation unfolded as US-Iran negotiations, mediated by Oman, were ongoing, with another round scheduled for this week. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi criticized the strikes in a post on X, saying, “I am dismayed. Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined… I urge the United States not to get sucked in further. This is not your war.”
In the Kurdistan Region, Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted over Erbil by US-led coalition defenses, according to Kurdish authorities. The Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism said at 1:25 pm that “coalition forces destroyed and brought down a number of missiles and explosive drones in Erbil province, and there were no human or material casualties.”
The Kurdistan Region is enjoying good ties with the US and Iran and has successfully worked to avoid being involved in the conflict.
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