Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatens military operations inside Iraq
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has threatened the Iraqi government with retargeting the positions of armed groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Ground Forces Mohammad Pakpour said in an interview with Iran’s Tasnim news agency: “An agreement was reached with the Iraqi government, which pledged to eliminate terrorist groups, disarm them and expel them from Iraq.”
“We are waiting for the Iraqi government to meet its commitments and give it a chance,” Pakpour said. “If nothing happens, the IRGC’s attacks on these sites will continue,” he said, while stressing that “security is good and stable throughout the country, especially in the border areas.”
Last March, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps ground forces announced that the headquarters of the Azad Kurdistan Party in Kirkuk in northern Iraq would be targeted by rockets and marches.
Iran frequently targets Iraqi Kurdistan; to strike at what it calls “separatist and terrorist group sites,” while Baghdad denies sheltering any groups that threaten its neighbors.
Last April, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi announced a security understanding with Baghdad during a visit by his Iraqi counterpart, Abdul-Latif Rashid. He confirmed that “Iraq’s security and borders are very important for his country.”
On March 19th, the two countries signed a security agreement stipulating “coordination in protecting the common border and strengthening joint cooperation in several security areas,” after months of tension due to Iranian shelling targeting the Kurdish opposition on the border.
Last week, Tehran summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Tehran after the country invited “separatist Kurdish groups” to attend the opening ceremony of the Barzani National Monument in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
