Condemnation of IRGC Missile Attack on Erbil; Arab League: Iran Violated Iraq's Sovereignty

The Arab League and the Arab Parliament condemned the missile attacks by the Islamic Republic on the city of Erbil in northern Iraq on Wednesday, January 17. These attacks resulted in the deaths of several civilians. According to the Arab League's website, the seven-point resolution from the meeting of foreign ministers of Arab League member states includes a "strong condemnation of the bombing of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which led to the deaths of several innocent civilians and the destruction of several civilian sites." The resolution described the IRGC missile attack as an "open aggression against Iraq's sovereignty, the security of the Iraqi people, and a gross violation of the principles of good neighborliness and international laws, charters, and norms." The resolution also condemned "all justifications and excuses of the Iranian government, which do not grant any country the right to violate the sovereignty of another country and endanger the lives of its citizens contrary to international law and the United Nations Charter." The Arab League member states held Iran accountable for all consequences of this attack and warned that the repetition of such actions could completely disrupt peace and security in the region. The resolution also emphasized Iraq's integrity and sovereignty against any foreign aggression and confirmed Iraq's right, as a founding member of the Arab League and a member of the United Nations, to resort to all guaranteed diplomatic and legal means in response to these issues. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, called these attacks a clear violation of Iraq's sovereignty, expressed condolences to the families of the victims, and wished recovery for the injured. According to "Arab News," Aboul Gheit's spokesperson described the IRGC attack as deserving blame and a violation of the principles of sovereignty and good neighborliness. He called the missile attack a dangerous development that increased the level of danger in the region amid the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel. The spokesperson emphasized the solidarity of the Arab League with the Iraqi government. Meanwhile, the Arab Parliament also referred to the IRGC missile attack as "Iran's aggression and a blatant attack on Arab national security," stressing that the security and stability of Iraq is an inseparable part of Arab security. In this context, Fuad Hussein, Iraq's Foreign Minister, expressed gratitude on the messaging platform "X" for the support of the Arab League and the Arab Parliament for his country and their criticism of Iran's aggression. Hussein, referring to Baghdad's request for an emergency Arab League meeting, emphasized, "We will not compromise in defending Iraq's sovereignty, security, and stability." The Iraqi Foreign Minister, who attended the Davos meeting in Switzerland, stated in an interview with CNN that Iran attacked Erbil because it cannot or does not want to attack Israel. He also described Iran as an "isolated" country and predicted that if Iraq, considered an ally of Iran, complains to the United Nations Security Council, the council will certainly support Baghdad's position. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry also announced on Tuesday that it had sent two similar letters of complaint to the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General regarding "Iran's missile aggression against the city of Erbil and the deaths of innocent civilians." The Iraqi government condemned Iran's missile attack on Erbil, calling it an "aggressive act and a violation of its sovereignty." The IRGC insisted on its claim that it attacked a "Mossad center" in Erbil without providing evidence to support its assertion. Iraqi officials rejected this claim, stating that the IRGC attacked a merchant's house in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, killing several civilians.