Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that the strike on the office of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani was a 'dangerous precedent,' according to reports. Araghchi said he had no information that the attack originated from Iranian territory and promised a formal statement clarifying Iran's position.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein spoke by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday morning, demanding clarification after Monday's drone strike on the private office of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. Hussein condemned the attack as a 'dangerous precedent,' noting that previous Iranian strikes in the region targeted opposition groups, not the office of the regional head of government. Araghchi expressed surprise, said he had no information that the attack originated from Iranian territory, and promised a formal statement clarifying Tehran's position, according to a report by The Zioneer Intelligence Desk.
Monday's events unfolded rapidly. At 11:06 Jerusalem, Reuters reported that at least two drones had targeted Barzani's office. Shortly afterward, the Kurdistan Region's Counter-Terrorism Directorate confirmed that two Iranian-made attack drones struck the PM's office and the residence of the head of Kurdish security in the Pirmam area of Erbil, with no casualties reported. Later that day, Iran's foreign minister officially denied responsibility, according to Israeli Arabic-language outlet Abu Ali Express. Local security officials identified the drones as Iranian-made 'Hadid-110' models, as The Zioneer reported on Monday afternoon.
The attack comes amid reports that Barzani's brother, President Nechirvan Barzani, has been mediating between the Trump administration and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as The Zioneer previously reported. The broader pattern of Iranian drone and missile strikes against Kurdish targets in recent months has been extensively covered by this desk.
The denial from Araghchi stands in tension with the identification of the drones as Iranian-made and the Kurdish authority's attribution to Iran. It remains unclear whether the attack was launched without Tehran's knowledge, or if the denial is a diplomatic maneuver to contain fallout with Baghdad. Tehran has yet to issue the promised formal statement clarifying its position.
4 developments
- DevelopingIranian FM Araghchi details attack on Khamenei compound, admits Turkish role, criticizes IRGC in interview
- DevelopingIranian FM Araghchi discusses economic, security ties with Iraqi Kurdish leader Talabani
- StrongIranian FM Araghchi reportedly in Iraq's Al-Husayniya early Tuesday with heavy security
- DevelopingIraqi Kurdistan PM Barzani: No desire to be party to regional wars, denies Israel ties
Source and signal
- Open-source intake