Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the UN. Photo: Rudaw/screengrab
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations on Friday warned against the Iran-Israel-US war spilling over into neighboring areas, including the Kurdistan Region, and criticizing threats made in that regard.
The remarks came shortly after a spokesperson for the Iranian military threatened a firm response to what he claimed was the deployment of Iranian Kurdish dissident forces along the Region’s border with Iran - an allegation Kurdish leaders in Erbil have staunchly denied.
Responding to a question by Rudaw on the Iranian threats, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general stated, “We don’t want to see more use of force. We do not want to see more threats of the use of force.”
He further stressed that “it is critical that this conflict does not extend even further into new areas, bringing in new countries into this conflict.” Dujarric also warned against “increased military action” and threats, which “run counter to what we would like to see before we bring it.”
Hours earlier, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson of the Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters - equivalent to the joint operations command and nerve center of the Iranian military - warned that his country’s armed forces possess “complete information” about the developments along the border areas, adding that all movements there are under close surveillance.
Addressing the Kurdistan Region officials directly, Zolfaghari stated, “We warn officials of the Kurdistan Region that any step or cooperation aimed at positioning hostile forces along Iran’s borderlines will be confronted forcefully by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic.”
He added that Iran respects the sovereignty of countries in the region, but stressed that any location from which the US or Israel launches military activities against Iran will be severely targeted.
The remarks came despite Kurdish officials reiterating in recent days that the Region will not side with any party in the Iran-Israel-US war and will not allow any group to use its territory to attack regional neighbours.
The latest statement in that regard was made earlier on Friday, when Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani affirmed in a phone call that “Iraqi territory must not be used as a launching pad for attacks against neighboring countries."
A statement by the Kurdistan Region Presidency further quoted the two top leaders as stressing “the need to confront current challenges by unifying the positions and rhetoric of national forces to preserve the country's stability and sovereignty, and to enhance national security.”
President Barzani and Prime Minister Sudani also rejected “the attacks targeting several Iraqi cities, including in the Kurdistan Region,” asserting their “support for all steps aimed at strengthening security and stability in the region."
In recent days,Iran-aligned armed groups have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks targeting alleged US interests, including in the Kurdistan Region, purporting that the attacks are part of their response to the ongoing US-Israeli campaign against Iran, which began on Saturday and killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an airstrike on Tehran that day.
The US embassy in Baghdad on Friday warned that Iran-aligned militia groups “may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners” in the Kurdistan Region. In a statement, the diplomatic mission “strongly encouraged” US citizens to “depart as soon as they are safely able to do so, and reconsider lodging options if choosing not to depart.”
Amid the widening escalation, public messaging between Washington and Tehran has also intensified in recent days with US President Donald Trump stating on Thursday that Iranian officials had reached out seeking talks.
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the same day denied the outreach, stating, “There is no request for a ceasefire by us, and there is no request for negotiations with the US from us.”
Asked by Rudaw about the UN’s stance on returning to the negotiating table, Dujarric on Friday noted the support of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for such a push, adding that “a number of [UN] member states share that goal.
“We will continue to push in that direction,” Dujarric affirmed.
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