“It was a pleasure to meet President Masoud Pezeshkian today in Tehran. We discussed further strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation between the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on mutual interests,” Barzani said on X.
President Barzani arrived in Iran on Saturday to participate in the Tehran Dialogue Forum. In a conversation on Sunday, he hailed Erbil’s “historic” linguistic, cultural, and economic ties with Tehran.
He also praised the Islamic republic for its continuous support for the Kurdistan Region, particularly during the war against the Islamic State (ISIS).
Barzani and Pezeshkian also “discussed latest developments, emphasizing the critical need for peace and stability in the region.”
The two leaders last met in September, during Pezeshkian’s visit to Erbil.
Barzani last traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian as president on July 30, 2024.
In May 2024, President Barzani also visited Tehran and held meetings with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, then-President Ebrahim Raisi, and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf.
He soon returned to Tehran to attend Raisi’s funeral.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good ties. During a forum in Sulaimani in April 2024, -President Barzani said that Iran has contributed to the economic “success” of the Region.
But the relationship has been strained in recent years by Tehran’s attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases in the Region; Erbil has vehemently rejected the claims.
During his speech on Sunday, President Barzani reiterated that “the Kurdistan Region’s territory has not and will not be a source of threat for Iran.”
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