Reactions to the Islamic Republic's Claim Regarding the 'Disarmament' of Iranian Kurdish Parties Based in Iraqi Kurdistan

On Tuesday, September 6, Nasser Kanani, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that according to an agreement between Iran and Iraq, Baghdad is committed to disarming Iranian Kurdish parties based in the Kurdistan Region by September 28 of this year. According to Kanani, the withdrawal of these parties from their 'military bases' in the Kurdistan Region and the closure of these 'bases' and their transfer to 'camps designated by the Iraqi government' are other provisions of this agreement. Kanani added, 'Based on the information we have, the Iraqi government has communicated the terms of this agreement for implementation to the authorities in the Kurdistan Region.' He warned that the deadline of September 28 will not be extended, and if this agreement is not implemented by that date, 'the Islamic Republic will act according to its responsibilities within the framework of ensuring the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' According to Kanani, officials from the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region, the special representative of the UN Secretary-General in Iraq, and the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Iraq are aware of the Islamic Republic's views in this regard. In response to Kanani's remarks, Arash Saleh, a representative of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the United States, told the Persian section of Voice of America on Tuesday, 'The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan has never used Iraqi territory for any military activities against the Islamic Republic.' He pointed out that Kurdish parties in Iraq have 'more of a political and non-military presence' and stated that the Iraqi government is responsible for protecting the lives of these political activists and their families in Iraq. Saleh further added that the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan considers itself 'entitled' to determine its strategies and tactics for achieving its goals based on its own will, and 'Iran's pressures will never be able to change our will.' In this context, Salah Bayzidi, a representative of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the U.S., said on Tuesday to the Persian section of Voice of America, 'In our opinion, these statements and pressures from the Islamic Republic on the regional Kurdish government and the Iraqi government to limit the completely political activities of Iranian Kurdish parties is not a new issue and has existed intermittently since 2003.' He stated, 'For years, missile attacks and the assassination of Iranian Kurdish civil and political activists have continued, and now, a year after the Women's Life Freedom Revolution, the Islamic Republic is once again afraid of the public uprising in Iran,' and given the importance of Kurdistan as 'the birthplace and starting point of this revolution,' it is trying to pressure Kurdish parties to 'depict the public uprising of Iranians as dependent on foreign forces and outside of this internal revolution.' Khalid Azizi, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, also previously stated in an interview with the news channel 'Kurdistan 24' based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that the Democratic Party feels responsible for the interests of the region and tries to resolve this issue in a way that is not detrimental to any party. David Romano, a Middle East politics professor at Missouri State University, said on Tuesday to the Persian section of Voice of America that given the halt of independent oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey and the resulting 'complete' dependence of the Kurdistan Regional Government on Baghdad, the Iraqi government has 'a lot of leverage' over this government and even threatens its autonomy. This Middle East expert further added, 'Therefore, especially considering the level of compliance of Iraqi parties with Iran, the risk that Baghdad will force the Kurdistan Regional Government to expel Iranian Kurdish parties from Iraqi Kurdistan seems very real.' Regarding the fate of Iranian Kurds opposing the Islamic Republic in Iraqi Kurdistan, Romano said that if they are forcibly returned to Iran, they will face 'the terrifying risk of torture and execution.' He stated, 'Therefore, international law has a clear position on this: if forced to leave Iraqi Kurdistan, they should not be expelled to Iran.' The professor added, 'However, international law does not prohibit their expulsion to a third country.' The escalation of attacks by the IRGC on the positions of Kurdish groups opposing the Islamic Republic in Iraqi Kurdistan has been reported, including shelling of border areas in Erbil by the IRGC, and a member of Komala stated that IRGC forces have been stationed at the border of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A member of the IRGC was killed in a clash in Kurdistan. Reuters reported that the Islamic Republic has intensified its repression of Kurds in parallel with the expansion of protests. Meetings of security officials from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region regarding Kurdish parties opposing the Islamic Republic have taken place, and renewed attacks by the IRGC on Kurdish positions in Iraq have been reported. The White House stated that the Iranian government cannot evade the burden of 'dissatisfaction' through cross-border attacks. Reports from Voice of America indicated the fifth day of IRGC attacks on the bases of Kurdish parties in Iraq. The U.S. condemned the 'brazen attacks' of the IRGC on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The two factions of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan are once again merging, and Blinken condemned the IRGC's missile attack in calls with Iraqi and Kurdistan Region officials.