KRG summons Iran’s consul general, calls Iranian accusations ‘baseless’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) called Iran’s accusations of hosting Israeli intelligence bases on Kurdish territory as “baseless” and summoned its consul general in Erbil to protest Sunday’s missile attack, demanding that Tehran refrain from using the Region as a “battlefield to settle disputes” with its foes.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for firing a dozen ballistic missiles on Sunday, hitting several targets on the outskirts of Erbil and injuring two civilians. 

The KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations issued a strongly-worded statement condemning the Iranian attack and summoned Iranian Consul General Nasrullah Rashnudi.

The KRG urged for Kurdish territory to not be used as a “battlefield to settle disputes on the basis of baseless pretexts that are far from the truth,” referring to Iranian claims that the missile attack targeted Israeli intelligence bases in Erbil, which the KRG denies exist. 

The statement added that the actions of Iran are “a contradiction to the concepts of friendly neighborhood relations,” emphasizing that they wish to continue the historic relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iran “on the basis of respect and mutual benefit.” 

The KRG also expressed its support for the formation of investigative committees to determine that no Israeli bases are present on Kurdish territory. Journalists were also invited to the site of the attack on Monday.

The summoning of the Iranian consul followed remarks on Monday by Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi, claiming that the attack was not a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Masjedi has blasted the US and Turkey in the past for carrying out attacks in violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

"We respect the sovereignty of Iraq and hold the sovereignty of Iraq and its government in high regards...the recent missile attack on Erbil was not against the sovereignty of Iraq but a reaction to the Zionists and the Mossad spy base," Masjedi said during an Islamic conference in Karbala on Monday where Iranian and Iraqi scholars participated, reported Iran's state media. 

The ambassador's statement on his country's missile attack on Erbil appears to contradict the comments he made to Rudaw in February 2021 when he criticized Turkey for bombing Iraq.

At the time, his remarks kicked off a diplomatic spat between both countries.

Iran has not produced any evidence to show that there are Israeli bases in the Kurdistan Region. 

Erbil’s Governor Omed Khoshnaw on Sunday denied the presence of Israeli bases, calling all claims that the attack conducted earlier in the day on the Kurdish capital targeted Israeli positions “baseless”.