Khamenei's Advisor Denies IRGC's Role in Kirkuk Operations

One day after the Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi militias captured the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, the international affairs advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic denied any role or presence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in this operation. Iraqi government forces swiftly seized Kirkuk on Monday, October 16. Following this operation, Iraqi officials reported that the military forces of the country took control of parts of Kirkuk without conflict; simultaneously, an oil official in Kirkuk announced the 'imminence' of full control over the city and the resumption of oil production at refineries. However, even before the operation began and during the tense days following the independence referendum on October 25, several officials from the Kurdistan Region had reported the presence of Iranian military forces in the area. On October 15, a security organization in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and a commander of the Peshmerga quoted that a number of IRGC forces were present among the Iraqi army and Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi militias to potentially confront the forces of the Kurdistan Region near Kirkuk. According to this commander, 'The Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi are not the only ones attacking us. We have 100% accurate information that IRGC forces are also among them.' In response to these reports, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei in international affairs, emphasized on Tuesday, October 17, that 'the IRGC has no role in the Kirkuk operation.' According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Velayati stated, 'The IRGC has no role in the Kirkuk operation and... we saw that the area was handed over to the Baghdad government almost without conflict, and Mr. Barzani must accept that he made a mistake and admit it and seek to compensate for it.' He also reiterated that Iran's presence in Iraq is solely 'advisory,' and only 'at the legal request of the Iraqi government.' This is a point that the Islamic Republic has repeatedly emphasized regarding Syria as well, and despite the significant number of its military casualties in that country, it has always claimed that it is present there for consultation and training. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran's state television also quoted from Al-Arabiya that the spokesperson for the central Iraqi government called the presence of any foreign forces in the Kirkuk operation 'baseless' and 'an attempt to divert public opinion.' The city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq is an oil-rich city and holds strategic importance for the country; on the other hand, the Kurds consider this city as their own, and an independence referendum was also held in this city. The holding of this referendum angered Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, and Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, stated that he does not recognize it and called for the annulment of the result. In this context, Iraqi forces have taken control of an airbase and industrial areas around Kirkuk from the Kurds. Iran closed the 'Parviz Khan' border with the Kurdistan Region at the request of the Iraqi government. Iraqi forces took control of Kirkuk. Trump: In the dispute between Iraq and the Kurds, the US does not side with either. Changing the battlefield of 'proxy wars'; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalization of Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. 1300 hours of internet outages; Witkoff: A horrific massacre occurred during the protests in Iran.