Iran Opposes the Installation of the Kurdistan Region Flag in Kirkuk

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry described the installation of the Kurdistan Region flag in Kirkuk, Iraq, as "an action contrary to the constitution" of Iraq and "provocative." According to the IRNA news agency, Bahram Qasemi stated on Monday, April 2, "...the raising of any flag other than the flag of Iraq in Kirkuk, which is under the authority of the federal government according to the constitution of this country, is considered unconstitutional and provocative." Najm al-Din Karim, the governor of Kirkuk, recently installed the Kurdistan Region flag alongside the Iraqi flag on government buildings in Kirkuk. This decision was implemented following a vote by the Kirkuk Provincial Council. Arab and Turkmen representatives in Kirkuk opposed this decision. The Kirkuk Provincial Council is also set to hold a session on Tuesday to present a referendum proposal for the annexation of Kirkuk to the Kurdistan Region. This move comes as Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, has repeatedly called for the separation of this area from Iraq. Barzani and officials from the Kurdistan Region had previously stated they would not intervene during the ISIS attack on the central government in 2014, criticizing Baghdad's policies. Barzani had then said that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq would separate. However, it wasn't long before ISIS forces also attacked this region. On April 1, the Iraqi Parliament opposed the installation of the Kurdistan Region flag in Kirkuk. The voting in the Iraqi Parliament took place on Saturday with the presence of 186 out of 328 representatives. According to Hassan Turan, a representative from Kirkuk, Kurdish representatives left the parliament before the vote. Kirkuk, an oil-rich region, has been contested between the Kurds and the central government of Iraq for years. The demographic composition of Kirkuk includes Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Assyrian minorities. Turkey has also opposed the installation of the Kurdistan Region flag in Kirkuk. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, last Wednesday, called this action incorrect, stating, "We support the integrity of Iraq and Syria." The Turkish Prime Minister also described the actions of local officials in Kirkuk as unconstitutional. The United Nations has warned that the installation of the Kurdistan Region flag in Kirkuk could lead to tensions in the area.