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Iran Strike Sparks Dispute with Iraq as Fears of Regional Upheaval Grow

A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI
A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI
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Iran Strike Sparks Dispute with Iraq as Fears of Regional Upheaval Grow

A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI
A general view shows the destroyed home of Iraqi Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was killed along with other members of his family, in an overnight missile attack targeting the city of Erbil, northern Iraq, 16 January 2024. EPA/GAILAN HAJI

An Iranian missile strike on targets in northern Iraq set off an unusual dispute between the neighboring allies on Tuesday, with Baghdad recalling its ambassador in protest and Tehran insisting the attack was intended to deter threats from Israeli spies.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards hit what they called an Israeli espionage center in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Iranian media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against ISIS.

The strike appeared likely to deepen worries about worsening instability across the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas started on Oct. 7, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

There has also been concern that Iraq could again become a theatre for regional conflict after a series of US strikes on Iran-linked militant groups that are also part of Iraq's formal security forces. Those strikes came in response to dozens of attacks on US forces in the region carried out since Oct. 7.

The Guards said the late Monday attack, Iran's first direct military strike in the region linked to the Gaza war, was in response to Israeli "atrocities" against several of its commanders and those of Iranian-allied forces around the Middle East since the conflict started.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the attack was "clear aggression" against Iraq and a dangerous development that undermined the strong relationship between Tehran and Baghdad, state media reported.

He said Iraq reserved its right to take all legal and diplomatic measures granted to it by its sovereignty.

In protest, Iraq recalled its envoy from Tehran and summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Baghdad.

The strike, on a residential area near the US consulate in Kurdistan's capital Erbil, was described by Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani as a "crime against the Kurdish people" in which at least four civilians were killed and six injured.

Multimillionaire Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee and several family members were among the dead, killed when at least one rocket crashed into their home, Iraqi security and medical sources said.

Iraq National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji denied the house was an Israeli spy center.

"To respond to the claim that there is a Mossad headquarters we visited the place and toured every corner of this house, and everything indicates that it is a family house belonging to an Iraqi businessman from Erbil," he told reporters.

'Reckless'

Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hayman said he would not speculate, when asked at a press briefing about Iran's assertion that it struck a Mossad site.

"What I will say is Iran continues to use its proxies to attack Israel on multiple fronts. We condemn Iran's activities and we call on the international community to stand up in defiance of Iran and call for peace in the region," he said.

Defending the attack, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tehran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, but it was Iran's "legitimate right to deter national security threats".

In addition to the Erbil strike, the Guards said they fired ballistic missiles in Syria and destroyed "perpetrators of terrorist operations" in Iran, including ISIS.

ISIS claimed responsibility for two explosions in Iran this month that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a memorial for top commander Qassem Soleimani.

France accused Iran of violating Iraq's sovereignty and Washington condemned the attacks as "reckless". US officials said no US facilities were hit and there were no US casualties.

Iran, which supports Hamas in its war with Israel, accuses the US of backing what it calls Israeli crimes in Gaza. The US has said it backs Israel in its campaign but has raised concerns about the number of Palestinian civilians killed.

Iran has in the past carried out strikes in Iraq's Kurdistan region, saying the area is used as a staging ground for Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel.

Baghdad has tried to address Iranian concerns over separatist groups in the region, moving to relocate some members as part of a security agreement reached with Tehran in 2023. 

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Syrian Letter Delivers Response to US Conditions for Sanctions Relief

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
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Syrian Letter Delivers Response to US Conditions for Sanctions Relief

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 25, 2025. (AFP)

Syria has responded in writing to a list of US conditions for possible partial sanctions relief, saying it had acted on most of them but others required "mutual understandings" with Washington, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

The United States last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles.

Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the United States, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad.

In January, the US issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect.

In exchange for fulfilling all the US demands, Washington would extend that suspension for two years and possibly issue another exemption, sources told Reuters in March.

Reuters was first to report that senior US official Natasha Franceschi handed the list of conditions to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18.

Shaibani, in his first address to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, sought to show that Syria was already addressing the demands, including on chemical weapons and the search for missing Americans in Syria.

His public comments were consistent with the contents of Syria's private letter to the US, an undated copy of which was seen by Reuters. Its contents have not been previously reported.

Two Western officials and a Syrian official briefed on the letter said it was consistent with the copy seen by Reuters.

In the four-page document, Syria pledges to set up a liaison office at the foreign ministry to find missing US journalist Austin Tice and details its work to tackle chemical weapons stockpiles, including closer ties with a global arms watchdog.

But it had less to say on other key demands, including removing foreign fighters and granting the US permission for counterterrorism strikes, according to the letter.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed Washington had received a response from Syrian authorities to a US request for them to take "specific, detailed confidence building measures”.

“We are now evaluating the response and do not have anything to share at this time,” the spokesperson said, adding that the US “does not recognize any entity as the government of Syria and that any future normalization of relations will be determined by the interim authorities' actions. "

Syria's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FOREIGN FIGHTERS

The letter said Syrian officials had discussed foreign fighters with former US envoy Daniel Rubinstein but that the issue "requires a broader consultative session."

"What can be confirmed for now is that the issuance of military ranks has been suspended following the earlier announcement regarding the promotion of six individuals," the letter says, an apparent reference to the appointment in December of foreign fighters including Uyghurs and a Turk to positions in the country's armed force.

It did not say whether those appointed ranks had been removed from the foreign fighters and did not list future steps to be taken.

A source briefed on the Syrian government's approach to the issue said Damascus would delay addressing it as much as possible given its view that non-Syrian fighters who helped oust Assad should be treated well.

On a US request for coordination on counterterrorism matters and the ability to carry out strikes on terror targets, the letter said the "matter requires mutual understandings."

It pledged that Syria's new government would not tolerate any threats to US or Western interests in Syria and vowed to put in place "appropriate legal measures," without elaborating.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had said in an interview earlier this year that US troops deployed in Syria were there without government approval, adding any such presence should be agreed with the state.

A Syrian official briefed on the letter said Syrian officials were brainstorming other ways to weaken extremists without explicitly giving the US permission to carry out strikes, seeing that as a controversial move after years of foreign air forces bombing Syria during its war.

'GUARANTEES'

A senior diplomat and another person briefed on the letter told Reuters that they deemed it addressed five demands in full, but that the remaining were left "outstanding".

They said the letter was sent on April 14 - just 10 days before Shaibani arrived in New York to address the Security Council. It was unclear whether the United States had sent a reply to Syria's letter.

A Syrian official and a US source briefed on the letter both said Shibani was set to discuss its contents with US officials during his trip to New York.

Syria's letter said it hoped the actions taken, which it described as "guarantees," could lead to a meeting to discuss each point in detail, including reopening embassies and lifting sanctions.

On Palestinian militants in Syria, it said Sharaa had formed a committee "to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions," and that armed factions outside state control will not be permitted. It was sent just days before Syria detained two Palestinian officials from the Islamic Jihad militant group.

"While discussions on this matter can continue, the overarching position is that we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel," it said.

The letter also acknowledged "ongoing communication" between Syria's counterterrorism authorities and US representatives in Amman over combating ISIS, and said Syria was inclined to expand that collaboration. The direct talks between Syria and the US in Amman have not previously been reported.