Valiati's Reaction to Israeli Minister's Comments on 'Partition' of the Region

Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reacted to the statements made by the Israeli Minister of Justice regarding the necessity of creating a new country called 'Kurdistan' between Iran and Turkey, emphasizing that Israel will never achieve this 'goal.' The Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, reported on Wednesday, January 27, the remarks made by Mr. Velayati during an interview with the Turkish newspaper Aydinlik. In part of this interview, referring to the recent statements of the Israeli minister, he said: 'The goal of the Zionist regime is to establish a second and even a third Israel in the region. The aim of the imperialists and Zionists is the partition of the region.' Last Tuesday, Ayelet Shaked, the Israeli Minister of Justice, called for the establishment of a new independent country named 'Kurdistan' and strengthening cooperation between Israel and the Kurds. According to the Times of Israel, Ms. Shaked stated: 'We must clearly and openly demand the establishment of a Kurdistan that separates Iran from Turkey, a country that will also have friendly relations with Israel.' However, Ali Akbar Velayati insists that neither Turkey will allow its partition nor will Iran agree to the partition of Turkey, asserting that defending Turkey's territorial integrity is 'everyone's duty.' He stated: 'The policy of the Zionist regime has been the partition of Islamic countries in the region, and for this reason, it sows discord and sedition among Islamic countries... They seek to influence the Islamic world, but they will not achieve this goal.' These remarks come at a time when last summer, Masoud Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, called on the Kurdistan Parliament to prepare for a referendum for declaring the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan. Mr. Barzani recently reiterated that the time has come to redraw borders in the Middle East. According to him, 'The experience of the last hundred years in the Middle East has been wrong,' and 'the forced coexistence of ethnicities' alongside each other has led to war and bloodshed. In this context, Barzani called for the preparation of the ground for the independence referendum of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Arab League called for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraq. The killing of '70 members' of the PKK in recent battles with the Turkish army. Changing the playing field of 'proxy wars'; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. Trump: I hope there will be no need for further action regarding Iran; they were killing people indiscriminately. The shadow of war over Tehran; 'Trump is looking for decisive military options against Iran.' Trump says if the Islamic Republic attempts to assassinate him, 'it will be wiped off the face of the earth.' Trump emphasizes 'stopping executions in Iran': we do not know what will happen in the future. A senior U.S. official: The Trump administration is closely monitoring the case of Reza Valizadeh.