The Cradle, September 13, 2023 —
Iraq has agreed to disarm and relocate armed Kurdish groups that threaten Iran’s internal security.
During an official visit to Tehran on 13 September, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein stressed that his nation is committed to a security pact with Iran to disarm anti-Iran groups based in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR).
“Iraq is committed to the road map and is trying to reach the ultimate goal of disarming terrorist groups on the borders of Iran, moving some fighters to refugee camps under the supervision of the UN and the High Commissioner for Refugees,” Hussein said during a joint news conference on Tuesday.
“Security cooperation between Iraq and Iran is based on the Iraqi constitution,” he added.
For his part, Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic of Iran is serious when it comes to providing the country’s national security.
“Experience has shown that Iran is serious about ensuring our national security, and we are pleased that senior officials in the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Foreign Minister today provided good news regarding the removal of terrorist elements from Iran’s borders,” he said, stressing that Tehran “enjoys the best bilateral regional and international relations with Iraq.”
“Giving even one hour to the terrorists is detrimental to the security of Iraq, Iran, and the Iraqi Kurdistan region,” the Iranian official added.
Before setting off to Tehran, Husein announced that his country had begun the necessary measures to remove the armed groups from the border.
“Based on the agreement between our two nations, necessary measures were taken to remove these groups from the border areas to camps deep inside Iraqi Kurdistan,” Hussein told a press conference on Tuesday.
However, reports from the IKR have indicated that Baghdad is unlikely to meet a 19 September deadline to disarm and relocate the groups, as the camps to house them have not even been built.
On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani revealed that the deadline “will not be extended.”
Kanaani explained that Tehran’s stance is “completely clear,” saying the agreement was reached with the Iraqi government and the heads of the IKR.
Kurdish armed groups operating from Iraqi Kurdistan have threatened the Iranian border for decades, most notably the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI), which was the driving force behind the 1979 Kurdish rebellion in Iran and whose fighters also received support from Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war.