Iraqi Nationwide Safety Advisor , Qassem al-Araji, arrived in Tehran on 29 Could on the head of a safety delegation for talks with Iranian officers on securing the borders between the 2 nations.
“Araji will meet with Iranian authorities and talk about the border safety points between Iran and Iraq in addition to the implementation of the safety settlement signed between the 2 nations,” Iran’s Mehr information company reported.
In accordance with the Iranian outlet, Araji visited the Iraqi Kurdistan Area (IKR) a day earlier and met with Kurdish authorities in Sulaymaniyah “on the orders of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani.”
The go to aimed “to overview the measures associated to the implementation of the safety MoU between Iran and Iraq relating to border safety.”
A gathering was held with the Inside Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Authorities (KRG), throughout which he introduced to Araji a report on the measures taken by Kurdish authorities to make sure safety on the Iraq-Iran border.
Through the assembly, the KRG “as soon as once more emphasised commitments to the settlement signed with Iran.”
Araji’s go to to Tehran comes only a week after Iran’s Intelligence Ministry issued a stern warning that it’s going to proceed operations towards Kurdish militants on the border if the safety risk just isn’t handled.
“We’re ready for the federal government of Iraq to honor its commitments and have given them a while … In any other case, if nothing occurs, the IRGC’s assaults will go on,” Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib stated on 21 Could.
For years, Kurdish militias have threatened the safety of Iran from Iraqi territory, most notably the Kurdistan Democratic Social gathering of Iran (KDPI), which has been energetic for many years and operates in exile in areas of northern Iraq.
KDPI was the driving pressure behind the 1979 Kurdish riot in Iran and was supported by Saddam Hussein through the Iran-Iraq battle. It additionally performed a task in anti-government riots in Iran final yr.
On account of this Kurdish presence close to the Iranian border, Iran has launched quite a few operations and strikes towards KDPI positions in Iraq. Kurdish militants and separatists have additionally been concerned in smuggling weapons certain for rioters into the Islamic Republic – as former US nationwide safety advisor John Bolton admitted final yr.
Iran has additionally issued many warnings in regards to the presence of international spy businesses within the IKR.
In March 2022, Iran launched a missile strike on the IKR’s Erbil area, claiming to have taken out secret Israeli Mossad bases.
Following the strike, a Kurdish official revealed to The Cradle that Erbil is a ‘hub’ for Israeli intelligence exercise.
The semi-autonomous Kurdish area of Iraq can be dwelling to the headquarters of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) Iranian opposition group, which Tehran refers to as a terrorist group, and which has been accountable for assaults towards the Islamic Republic.
Through the go to, Araji can also meet with the newly appointed head of Iran’s Nationwide Safety Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Mehr added.