ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations on Wednesday urged a halt to the ongoing attacks between Iran and the United States and to the broader regional escalation, including its spillover into the Kurdistan Region, calling for upholding “territorial integrity” of regional countries and a return to diplomacy.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "wants the fighting to stop and the territorial integrity of every country in the region to be respected," said the UN chief’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in response to a question from Rudaw's Namo Abdulla about the surge of drone and missile attacks recorded in the Kurdistan Region recently.
The Region on Friday saw the heaviest escalation with 20 strikes recorded within a 24-hour window. US-led Coalition forces intercepted around a dozen explosive-laden drones over Erbil, Kurdish authorities declared, while at least seven missiles struck several locations in the Region’s eastern Sulaimani province, killing 10 members of a Kurdish dissident group.
The Region on Friday saw the heaviest escalation, with coalition forces intercepting at least eight explosive-laden drones over Erbil, while missiles struck several locations in the Region's Sulaimani province, killing at least eight members of the Komala Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan dissident group.
On Sunday, a drone attack targeted a camp belonging to the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) near Erbil, wounding eight members of the group, while on Tuesday at least five more strikes were reported with US-led Coalition air defenses reportedly intercepting three suicide drones over Erbil, and two missiles hit another PAK camp in the area.
The UN official further urged Iran and the US to "return to diplomacy," noting, "That is the message we're delivering publicly, and the Secretary-General is delivering in private conversations as well."
Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signalled further escalation warning that “from this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz - whether by missile, rocket, drone, or any other device or weapon - the United States will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant."
In a statement he posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump added that targets would comprise "those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran."
The remarks followed a statement from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) stating that its forces “completed the 11th consecutive evening of strikes against Iran" overnight, accusing Tehran of attacking more than 30 commercial vessels" transiting Hormuz and "endangering hundreds of innocent mariners and undermined freedom of navigation."
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that "in retaliation" for the US strikes, its forces struck US assets in Jordan and Kuwait.
