Iran says raising Kurdistan’s flag in Tehran was ‘mistake’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that raising the Kurdistan Region’s flag during President Nechirvan Barzani’s recent visit to Tehran was a “mistake” in protocol, following criticism from some Iraqis. 

Raising the flag was a “mistake by the executive welcoming team stationed at the airport,” said Saeed Khatibzadeh.
 
“Iran has always respected the territorial unity and territorial integrity of Iraq and has an unchangeable policy in this regard,” he added. 

Barzani led a Kurdistan Region delegation to Tehran on Thursday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi. The two met on Friday morning and only the flags of Iran and Iraq were on display.

When Kurdistan Region officials visit foreign countries, especially neighboring Turkey and Iran, all eyes are on how the Kurdistan flag will be treated. Raising the flag in Tehran in the absence of the Iraqi banner was significant, and was noted by the president’s office.

The presence of the flag during visits to Turkey is very significant as Ankara has not only banned the flag but also the word “Kurdistan” at home. 

Seeing the Kurdistan flag flying in Iran without the Iraqi one sparked some concern in Iraq and Iran. 

“The brothers in the Islamic Republic should explain the reason for this grave mistake by the Iranian guard of honor. Kurdistan is part of Iraq and it belongs to it and not an independent state,” wrote Ali al-Hussaini, a Twitter user who describes himself as a supporter of Shiite militia groups in Iraq.
  
“The enemies are exploiting everything to sow discord between the two neighboring countries, so do not give them a chance with such protocol errors,” he added. 

Iranian Twitter users have called it a “mistake” and a “betrayal.”  

The Kurdistan flag was first raised in an official capacity in 1946 when Qazi Muhammad declared the creation of the Republic of Mahabad, the short-lived independent Kurdish state, in the city of Mahabad, western Iran. He was hanged for treason a year later.