Iran Summons Iraqi Ambassador Over Presence of Kurdish Opponents at Ceremony in Kurdistan Region

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic has summoned the Iraqi ambassador in Tehran to protest the presence of Kurdish opposition groups at an official ceremony in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. According to AFP, a ceremony was held last Thursday in the Kurdistan region to pay tribute to Mustafa Barzani, a Kurdish leader from the area who passed away in 1979. Attendees included Abdul Latif Rashid, the President of Iraq, Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, and representatives from Iranian Kurdish organizations and parties. The head of the Persian Gulf Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed the Islamic Republic's strong objection to what he termed 'the invitation of members of separatist groups and the continuation of certain terrorist group activities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq' during an official ceremony, describing this as contrary to a recent security agreement between Tehran and Baghdad. In March of this year, the Islamic Republic and Iraq signed a contract to protect their common borders, with Ibrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, affirming that 'the security of Iraq and its borders is very important to us.' This comes in the context of the Islamic Republic having conducted cross-border missile and drone attacks against several Iranian Kurdish organizations and parties in northern Iraq last November, accusing them of involvement in protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. The Islamic Republic labels the Iranian Kurdish organizations and parties based in Iraq as 'separatist' and considers them 'terrorist,' although these organizations and parties reject such claims. According to AFP, the Kurdistan region of Iraq hosts camps and bases operated by several Iranian Kurdish organizations and parties.