Attempts to link Erbil attack to Iran ‘suspicious’: FM spokesperson

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Tehran has condemned speculation on Iran’s involvement in Monday night’s rocket attack on Erbil as “suspicious”, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday.

“Suspicious attempts to link the Erbil attacks to Iran are condemned,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said in an official statement on Tuesday, as reported by Iranian state media outlet IRNA.

"Iran considers the stability and security of Iraq central to the region and its neighbors, and rejects any attempt that disturbs the peace and order of the country,” he added.

Fourteen rockets hit various locations across Erbil on Monday night, killing one person and injuring nine others.

The person killed was a civilian contractor, and other contractors and military personnel were among the injured, a spokesperson for the US-led coalition told Rudaw.

A militant group by the name of Saraya Awlia al-Dam (Guardians of Blood Brigades) claimed responsibility for the attacks, but their account of the attack – which includes the number of rockets they claim to have fired – contradicts findings by official security sources.

The Kurdistan Region capital was last targeted in a rocket attack in September. The Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Directorate General of Counter-Terrorism (CTD) said at the time that the attack had been conducted by an Iran-backed group.

Iraq is often a playground for the long-running tensions between the US and Iran. Iraqi militias backed by Tehran frequently carry out attacks on US and international sites in Iraq, including the US embassy in Baghdad and Iraqi military bases hosting coalition troops. 

Iran was blamed by Washington for a December rocket attack on the US embassy in Baghdad. Khatibzadeh rejected the accusation when it was made, saying that attacks on diplomatic and residential premises were “unacceptable” and always rejected by Tehran.

A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo said on Tuesday that the Erbil rocket attack is part of the conflict between Tehran and Washington, and that it was conducted to serve as a message to the US and the Kurdistan Region.