Iraqi Kurdistan president condemns Iranian strikes on prime minister's office

The president of Iraqi Kurdistan on Monday condemned Iranian attacks on the office of the region’s prime minister and the residence of the region’s security agency chief as a reckless expansion of Tehran’s war with the U.S.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said in an X post that the attacks clearly violate the region’s sovereignty and security and called on Iraq’s government to “fulfill its constitutional responsibilities and obligations” by preventing the “recurrence of such violations.”

“These attacks are completely unacceptable and constitute a dangerous escalation,” Mr. Barzani posted.

The Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Directorate said two explosive-laden Hadid-110 drones were launched from Iranian territory around midnight Monday. The drones’ targets were reportedly the office of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who is the president’s cousin, and the private residence of the director of the region’s Parastin Agency, the primary security and intelligence organization tied to the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack also condemned the attacks in an X post, calling them an unacceptable threat to regional stability and “our trusted Kurdish allies.”

Iraqi Kurdistan is a Kurdish-majority territory in northern Iraq bordering Turkey and Iran. The region is just one section of the Greater Kurdistan region, which includes parts of Syria, Iran and Turkey.

The attacks are the latest offensive strikes launched by Iran on the Kurdistan Region since the war began. Iran regularly frames its strikes against political and security targets in Iraq as attacks against Iranian-Kurdish groups that regional authorities are illegally sheltering.

Since fighting between the U.S. and Iran resumed last month, Iran has targeted dissident groups near the regional capital of Erbil. In the first two weeks of August, the region has been hit by 16 drones and three ballistic missiles.

The attacks come as reports emerge that Iraqi political leaders in Kurdistan have been assisting in diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Iran. Nechirvan Barzani, the regional president, has reportedly played a role in transmitting messages between the two parties in an attempt to ease tensions.

The Trump administration has reportedly been in contact with Mr. Barzani since May, and the regional president has served as a key backchannel to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has orchestrated most of Tehran’s military operations.

However, a spokesperson for Mr. Barzani’s office said Sunday that Iraqi Kurdistan would remain neutral in the conflict and stressed that negotiations should continue.

“One of the consistent principles of Nechirvan Barzani’s policy is that problems and disagreements should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations,” spokesperson Dilshad Shahab said in comments first published by Iran International.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Hossein Mohebi on Monday dismissed reports that the regime was conducting backchannel discussions with the White House. He implied that President Trump, who told Fox News about the covert conversations this week, was working to manipulate oil markets with his remarks.

“This lie by Trump is nothing more than fantasies brought on by the delusions and nightmares he is suffering from as a result of defeat and desperation in the war,” Mr. Mohebi told state-affiliated media outlet Tasnim.