ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Tuesday delivered a formal letter of protest to the Iranian Consulate General in Erbil, condemning recent remarks by an Iranian official as “a threat” to the Kurdistan Region's constitutional status.
The KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations said in a statement that the complaint was a direct response to "statements and threats" made by Sayyid Mohammad Mir Hosseini, Iran’s incoming Consul General to the eastern Sulaimani province, which were directed toward the Kurdistan Region.
Speaking to reporters in Sulaimani a day prior, Mir Hosseini stated that Tehran will continue to strike locations it perceives as linked to the United States, Israel, and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Region, describing them as “legitimate targets.”
The Kurdistan Region has, since late February, been caught in the crosshairs of the Iran-Israel-US war.
The US and Israel on February 28 launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting on Monday that, since the start of operations, its forces have struck more than 13,000 targets across Iran and “damaged or destroyed” over 155 Iranian vessels, focusing on locations deemed to “pose an imminent threat.”
CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper stated in late March that the operation aims to “eliminate Iran’s ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders.”
In response, Tehran has carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East, targeting alleged US assets - particularly in Gulf Arab states - and launching retaliatory attacks against Israel.
The Iranian response has also involved Iraqi armed groups aligned with the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ with several factions claiming responsibility for attacks on purported US targets in the region, including in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
According to Rudaw tracking as of Monday, the Kurdistan Region has endured a total of 678 drone and missile attacks, including 540 targeting Erbil province, 111 in Sulaimani, and two in Halabja in the eastern part of the Region, while 25 attacks were recorded in northern Duhok province.
The attacks come despite Kurdish authorities consistently affirming that they are not a party to this conflict and that the Kurdistan Region will not be allowed to serve as a launchpad for attacks on its neighbors, including Iran.
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