ERBIL, Kurdistan region – Iran intervened with close ally the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to prevent possible violence after the PUK’s defeat in last month’s parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, a senior party official revealed.
“As soon as the election results were announced the Iranians intervened to prevent the eruption of any possible violence” among the various political parties, said Adnan Mufti, a senior PUK leader.
The September 21 elections for the autonomous Kurdistan Region’s own 111-seat parliament overturned the political landscape of the three-province Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq.
The PUK lost its standing as the region’s second most-powerful party to the rival Change Movement (Gorran). The opposition party is likely to take the PUK’s place in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) will retain the upper hand after its poll sweep.
The PUK has long-standing ties with Iran, whose strong influence is felt not only in the Kurdistan Region but in all of Iraq. Areas under PUK control share long borders with Iran, contributing to strong trade and security ties with Tehran.
Mufti said that Tehran had urged his party to stay calm and accept the election results. “The Iranian officials advised the PUK not to resort to violence against the opposition Gorran Movement,” he said. “Iran cares about the PUK and its future in the region,” he added.
Rudaw has learned that two Iranian officials from Iran’s elite Quds paramilitary force had recently visited Sulaimani, where they met with officials of the PUK and Gorran. Both parties were invited to send representatives for a meeting in Tehran after the Eid holidays, according to Rudaw sources.
Senior Gorran official Muhammad Rahim said he was not aware of such an invitation.
However, Nazim Dabakh, the Kurdistan Region’s representative in Tehran, confirmed that an Iranian delegation had traveled to Kurdistan three days after election results were announced. “The delegation met officials from Gorran, the PUK, and KDP,” he told Rudaw.
Another PUK official, who wished to remain anonymous, said that his party remains important to Tehran.
“Iran has strong economic trade with the areas under PUK control. In addition, Iran and the PUK exchange intelligence information to maintain security in the area,” he said.
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