Nechirvan Barzani Describes Mohsen Rezaei's Remarks as 'Comedic'

The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq described the remarks of the Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of the Islamic Republic regarding a meeting in Erbil to organize protests in Iran as 'comedic'. According to Kurdish television 'Rudaw', Nechirvan Barzani stated on Sunday, January 7, that 'accusing Erbil of being involved in the recent protests in Iran is a comedic accusation, and we do not interfere in Iran's internal affairs.' He emphasized that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is working to strengthen its relations with Iran. Safin Dizay, the official spokesperson of the Kurdistan Regional Government, also called the accusation of Erbil's involvement in protests in Iran 'fake and far from the truth'. According to Tasnim News Agency, Mohsen Rezaei had stated on Saturday, January 6, that 'a few months ago, the head of the CIA's special operations desk in Erbil, Iraq, met with the office head of Saddam's son and Hani al-Talfa, Saddam's brother-in-law, as well as a representative from Saudi Arabia, Barzani's and the Mojahedin's, and they planned these events.' He mentioned that 'they set the date for operations for late Azar (December) to start their work using social media and to finish the regime's work by Bahman (February) in their view', and 'they named the project the strategy of effective convergence.' Rezaei's remarks about the presence of Saddam Hussein's associates in Erbil come at a time when the ruling groups in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq were among the opponents of Saddam Hussein. The Saddam Hussein regime was also accused of the massacre of 182,000 Iraqi Kurds. Previously, in recent days, Hassan Rouhani and other government, security, and military officials of the Islamic Republic have accused the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia of being involved in the recent protests in Iran without providing evidence. Typically, the leader of the Islamic Republic and Iranian officials accuse 'enemies' or 'adversaries' of interfering in the country's affairs. In this context, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, described Hassan Rouhani's accusations as 'lies and ridiculous'. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, along with several of his administration officials and lawmakers, has also supported peaceful protests in Iran. At the request of the United States, the United Nations Security Council held a session on Saturday, January 6, to discuss the unrest in Iran, but the session ended without results. While Iranian officials previously accused countries such as the United States, Israel, and Britain of involvement in some protests against the Islamic Republic, Saudi Arabia's name has also been added to the list of countries mentioned by Iranian officials in recent protests. Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, in an interview with the Al-Mayadeen television network, accused Saudi Arabia of 'being involved' in the recent widespread protests in Iran and warned that 'they will receive an appropriate response from Iran.' Relations between the two countries have soured following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia and attacks on its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad. Iran and Saudi Arabia accuse each other of interfering in several regional countries, including Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.