Iran Launches New Strikes on Kurdish Sites

A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
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Iran Launches New Strikes on Kurdish Sites

A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)

Iran renewed bombing of sites in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, said an official from Komala Iranian-Kurdish opposition.

Atta Nasser said that the Iranian forces launched artillery fire and drone strikes on bases used by exiled Iranian group Komala in the Mount Halgurd area, near the Iranian border.

The strikes "destroyed some outposts, without causing casualties among our ranks," Nasser said.

On Thursday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced they would continue their attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan against the Iranian-Kurdish opposition.

For more than a week, Iran has launched sporadic strikes in northern Iraq, the most violent of which was on Wednesday, with more than 70 missiles and drone strikes in the autonomous region, targeting Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups.

At least 14 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in the attacks, and 50 others were injured, mostly civilians.

The IRGC said in a statement that it launched a series of operations targeting terrorists in Iraq with "precision missiles" and "suicide drones."

The attacks come as unrest continues across Iran over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman.

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Barham Salih confirmed the Iranian bombing was a serious escalation and a violation of the country's sovereignty, security, stability, and safety of its citizens.

Salih met with National Security Advisor Qassim al-Araji to discuss the recent developments in politics and security-related matters in Iraq.

He also condemned the continued Turkish shelling of the Kurdish area, emphasizing that it is not sustainable or acceptable and has to be ceased immediately to prevent its ramifications.

The meeting reiterated the need to follow up on the security issues with high-level officials of neighboring countries, describing it as a "serious escalation."

They reiterated the need to promote dialogue and for Iraq and its neighbors to address the security challenges, noting that it should be based on shared security interests and in ways that would maintain Iraq's sovereignty and safeguard its citizens.

Earlier, Iraq summoned Iran's ambassador to hand over a worded note of protest to the Iranian government.

Iraq's note of protest said it "condemns this crime in continuous aggression by the Iranian forces against Iraq's sovereignty and territorial sanctity," the Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry said the attack was a "dangerous development that threatens Iraq's security and sovereignty."

It is not yet clear whether Iraq will protest at the UN Security Council or will be satisfied with the position expressed by the protest letter.

However, linking the Iranian bombing with the continuation of Turkish shelling of Iraqi areas is a new Iraqi position in terms of dealing with both countries.



Le Pen’s Party Chief Calls on French People to Rally against Election Ban

President of Rassemblement National parliamentary group Marine Le Pen attends a session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, France's lower house parliament, in Paris on April 1, 2025. (AFP)
President of Rassemblement National parliamentary group Marine Le Pen attends a session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, France's lower house parliament, in Paris on April 1, 2025. (AFP)
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Le Pen’s Party Chief Calls on French People to Rally against Election Ban

President of Rassemblement National parliamentary group Marine Le Pen attends a session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, France's lower house parliament, in Paris on April 1, 2025. (AFP)
President of Rassemblement National parliamentary group Marine Le Pen attends a session of questions to the government at the National Assembly, France's lower house parliament, in Paris on April 1, 2025. (AFP)

Far-right party chief Jordan Bardella called on the French to rally this weekend to protest against a ruling that banned Marine Le Pen from running for public office for five years after being found guilty of embezzling European Union funds.

Monday's ruling was a catastrophic setback for Le Pen, the long-time National Rally (RN) leader, who had been the front-runner in opinion polls for the 2027 presidential election.

"The French should be outraged, and I tell them: Be outraged!" Bardella told Europe 1 radio and CNews TV over a ruling that far-right leaders said was biased and undemocratic. "We'll take to the streets this weekend."

Bardella offered few details, other than saying that there would be leafleting and meetings "everywhere in France" and that RN lawmakers would hold press conferences in their constituencies. The party announced a rally in Paris on Sunday.

In Le Pen's stronghold of Henin-Beaumont, in northern France, RN officials were handing out leaflets that read "Let's save democracy. Support Le Pen!"

Meanwhile, the weekly session of parliamentary questions to government degenerated into a heated debate over the ruling, with the RN repeating accusations that it was politically biased.

Earlier, Le Pen told RN lawmakers that she considered it was a "nuclear bomb" launched by "the establishment" against her. Even when she lodges her planned appeal, the ban will not be suspended.

In a sign of some of the unease over how to react to what Figaro newspaper called a "democratic earthquake", center-right Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told parliament he backed the ruling - but also that he had questions over Le Pen's election ban being immediate.

"As a matter of law, any criminal decision with serious consequences should be subject to appeal," he said, adding that he was speaking as a citizen rather than the prime minister.

Bayrou said lawmakers should change the law that allowed judges to make such a ban immediate, if they did not like it. One lawmaker allied with the RN, Eric Ciotti, said he would do just that.

President Emmanuel Macron has made no public comment.

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The judge in the court hearing on Monday, Benedicte de Perthuis, said Le Pen had been "at the heart" of a scheme to misappropriate more than 4 million euros ($4.3 million) of EU funds.

The lack of remorse by Le Pen and other defendants was among the reasons that prompted the court to ban them from running for office with immediate effect, de Perthuis said.

Le Pen was also given a four-year prison sentence - two years of which were suspended and two years to be served under home detention - and a 100,000-euro ($108,200) fine, but they will not apply until her appeals are exhausted. Appeals in France can take months or even years.

The defendants were accused of using EU funds illegally to pay the party's staff back home - including one of Le Pen's sisters and other people close to her - instead of EU parliamentary assistants. They denied wrongdoing and said the money was used legitimately.

Bardella could become the RN's de facto candidate for the 2027 election. But Le Pen made clear she was not yet ready to hand him the baton, saying on Monday: "I'm not going to let myself be eliminated like this." Bardella backed her on Tuesday.

Despite outrage over the ruling among the far right in France, Europe and beyond, who were united in their condemnation of what they called judicial overreach, an opinion poll showed a majority of French people agreed with the ruling.

Some 57% of those interviewed by Elabe pollsters for BFM TV said the ruling was normal considering what Le Pen was accused of, while 42% considered it was politically biased.

Some politicians, including former Socialist President Francois Hollande, said it was important to respect the independence of the judicial system.

In the RN stronghold of Henin-Beaumont, reactions to the ruling were mixed.

"It's a shame, it's a shame because we needed a different president, we needed the RN to win," 56-year-old resident Pascal Walkowiak said on Monday.

Another resident, Isabelle, 60, said: "Too bad for her. I think it's a good thing because she made mistakes."