Raisi Urges Barzani to Prevent ‘Exploitation’ of Kurdistan to Launch Attacks against Iran

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)
President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)
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Raisi Urges Barzani to Prevent ‘Exploitation’ of Kurdistan to Launch Attacks against Iran

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)
President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi urged on Monday President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani to prevent the “exploitation of Kurdish territories” to attack Iran.

He stressed the need to remove the arms of “elements that are opposed to the revolution.”

“We trust that our Iraqi and Kurdish brothers have good intentions,” Raisi told Barzani during a meeting in Tehran. “However, given the spite harbored by our enemies, including the Zionist entity, we expect the Iraqi and Kurdistan governments to prevent the exploitation of their lands by hostile Zionist elements and groups opposed to the revolution.”

Moreover, he said Iran is open to expanding economic and trade cooperation with Kurdistan. “We believe the long border between the two sides is a valuable opportunity to boost relations, but security remains pivotal because it is necessary for any cooperation,” he went on to say.

Raisi said he was satisfied with the measures taken by the Baghdad and Erbil governments to carry out the joint Iraqi-Iranian security plan, stressing the need for its “full and strict” implementation, including the removal of weapons of groups that are opposed to the Iranian revolution.

For his part, Barzani said Kurdistan was adamant on fully implementing the agreement.

“We expect Iran to stand by our side in easing Iraq’s problems and building a prosperous and modern country,” he added.

On Israel, he remarked: “Any sound mind will not prioritize the establishment of ties with a regime - that is at its lowest point – over relations with a strong and friendly country.”

Kurdistan’s Rudaw network said Barzani and Raisi’s talks underscored the need to bolster relations between Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan based on good neighborliness, joint interests and raising the level of trade and economic exchange.

Barzani also held two meetings with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

A statement from the Kurdistan presidency said the officials discussed relations between Baghdad, Erbil and Tehran, including opportunities for economic cooperation. They also tackled political affairs in Iraq and Kurdistan and regional developments.

Barzani also met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. No details were made available about their talks.

Kurdistan and Iran share a 650-km long border and seven border crossings. Trade exchange between them tops 7 billion dollars annually, reported Rudaw.

In a post on the X platform, former Iraqi FM Hoshyar Zebari described Barzani’s trip as “very successful.”

He noted that it took place in wake of “violent tensions” in relations between Kurdistan and Iran in wake of Tehran’s rocket attacks on Erbil in recent years.

This was the first visit to Iran by a Kurdish official since January 2024 when Tehran fired 11 ballistic missiles at Erbil that targeted the residence of a prominent Kurdish businessman.

Iran alleged that it was striking targets that were spying for the Israeli Mossad. Iraq has denied that the Mossad had set up headquarters in Erbil.



Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
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Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh has stressed the need for all Libyans to actively participate in the political process and play a role in shaping Libya’s future.

Tetteh’s comments came shortly before her briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the North African country.

On Tuesday, the UN Special Representative and her Deputy for Political Affairs, Stephanie Koury, briefed a delegation of 28 representatives of civil society organizations from the southern region, including mayors and municipality members, on the outcomes of the Advisory Committee and the country-wide consultations led by the UN mission regarding the political process, as well as the recent meeting of the International Follow-up Committee in Berlin.

The participants told Tetteh that the ongoing institutional divisions between the east and west are negatively impacting the south.

They expressed a strong desire to see national elections through which all Libyans can choose their leaders and establish unified national institutions.

The southern delegation stressed the importance of ensuring that all cultural components have the opportunity to participate equally as citizens in the governance of the country.

Tetteh then held a meeting with the mayors of Misrata, Tarhouna, Khoms, Zliten, and Qasr al-Akhyar to discuss the options put forward by the Advisory Committee, as well as the ongoing challenges faced by municipalities across Libya.

UNSMIL stated the mayors conveyed their support for the work of the Advisory Committee and submitted a petition to Tetteh expressing their support for inclusive dialogue involving elected municipal councils and an end to the protracted transitional phases in Libya.

The mayors also stressed the need for effective administrative decentralization, and the allocation of resources to the municipalities to support adequate service delivery, and noted that the municipalities were currently underfunded.

They also voiced concerns over irresponsible public spending, which they warned poses a threat to the Libyan state, and called for the adoption of clear criteria for allocations of development funds.

They noted the importance of strengthening decentralization as a means to provide critical support for the Libyan people.

In a related development, the Chairman of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh, met Monday in Tripoli with British Ambassador to Libya Martin Longden to discuss ways the UK can support Libya’s electoral process.

Longden reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to providing technical and advisory support to the HNEC, aimed at strengthening its readiness and ensuring elections are held with integrity and transparency.

Meanwhile, Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah chaired an expanded meeting on Monday to follow up on the latest developments in the implementation of the “Emmar Tripoli” (Tripoli Re/Development) program, launched by the his government, with the aim of improving infrastructure and enhancing the aesthetic and urban character of the capital.

During the meeting, Dbeibah stressed the need to overcome obstacles and accelerate the pace of work according to the approved timetables, stressing the importance of daily field follow-up to achieve the set goals.