Iran Threatens to Carry Out Strikes in the Kurdistan Region

23rd February 2025

3 minutes read

Iran Threatens to Carry Out Strikes in the Kurdistan Region

A source confirms that Tehran has informed the Iraqi government that it has observed, in recent days, a military parade conducted by the Iranian opposition in one of the cities of Kurdistan, describing it as a violation of the security agreement.

Iran has issued stern warnings to both the central Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, threatening to attack the Iranian opposition present in the region despite the signing of a security agreement aimed at strengthening border stability. Meanwhile, Baghdad is exerting pressure on Iran to prevent it from carrying out its threats.

According to a well-informed source cited by the Iraqi Kurdish news site Shafaq News, “Tehran has informed Baghdad that its threat will be carried out if the terms of the security agreement are not implemented, warning that Iran will launch airstrikes against the Iranian opposition present in Kurdistan.”

In response to these threats, “Baghdad is exerting political pressure on Tehran to prevent it from executing its threats,” the source added.

The two countries had signed a security agreement in 2023 aimed at “coordinating the protection of shared borders” during a visit to Baghdad by former Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani. This agreement followed months of tension due to Iranian strikes targeting Kurdish opposition groups along the border.

At the time, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani firmly rejected the use of Iraqi territory as a base for armed groups or as a launching point for attacks that could undermine Iraqi sovereignty.

Following this agreement, approximately 77 offices belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition parties located in border areas adjacent to Iran and near Kurdistan were closed, according to Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qassem al-Araji.

Al-Araji also announced that the heavy weapons belonging to these parties had been handed over to the Peshmerga forces in the region and that their members were relocated to six camps—four in Erbil and two in Sulaymaniyah.

In late 2022, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq were subjected to Iranian airstrikes after Tehran accused them of infiltrating its territory, inciting protests, and carrying out attacks. At that time, Iraq pledged to redeploy its border guards along the Iranian border to help de-escalate tensions.

These events occurred amid mass protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.

Despite the agreement and ongoing efforts to stabilize the border, Iranian threats remain. According to the same source, “Iran has informed Iraqi security and political officials that it is preparing to carry out a military strike against the Iranian opposition in Kurdistan if Baghdad and Erbil fail to uphold the terms of the security agreement between the two sides.”

The source further explained that “Iran recently observed a military parade conducted by the opposition in one of Kurdistan’s cities, prompting preparations for a new strike.”

In response to this imminent threat, the Iraqi government is currently exerting pressure, through security and political channels, to dissuade Iran from launching the strike in the coming days. Additionally, Baghdad is also pressuring the Kurdistan Regional Government to fully implement the security agreement signed with Tehran.

Baghdad had previously declared that it had distanced Kurdish groups from the Iranian border and pledged that its territory would not be used for attacks against Iran. However, Tehran is demanding more—specifically, the complete disarmament of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.