On September 24, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected allegations that Tehran was behind a drone attack on the office of Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), in Iraq's Kurdistan region, calling the incident a 'false flag' aimed at provocation.
Speaking on Al Jazeera, Araghchi stated: 'The attack on Barzani's office was a false flag operation, a provocation. Iran is not involved in this incident.' He also called on all parties involved 'not to fall into the trap' of those seeking to escalate tensions in the region.
Earlier, Iraqi media reported that a drone struck Barzani's office in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, causing damage but no casualties. The KDP condemned the attack and criticized Iran, though no concrete evidence was provided.
Relations between Iran and Iraq's Kurdistan region have long been complex, with Tehran frequently conducting strikes against Kurdish opposition groups based there. However, Araghchi stressed that Iran respects Iraq's sovereignty and will continue dialogue with both Baghdad and Erbil to address security concerns.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, along with ongoing instability in the Middle East, prompting analysts to warn of the risk of wider conflict.
