Chief of Staff of Iran’s armed forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on Tuesday that the Iraqi government has until September to disarm Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region, threatening to use military action if Baghdad fails to meet the deadline.
“If the deadline passes and they remain armed or carry out any operation, our operations against those groups will definitely reoccur more severely,” Bagheri told the state television. “Armed secessionist groups exist in northern Iraq, which causes insecurity at our borders.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Mehr news agency said Bagheri blamed some neighboring countries for failing to “favorably” fulfill their commitments to ensuring border security.
Speaking at an annual conference attended by ground force commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the northeastern city of Mashhad, he said a number of armed separatist groups in northern Iraq have caused some insecurities along the common border with Iran.
Bagheri said that Tehran had suspended cross-border strikes after Baghdad agreed to a September deadline to disarm the Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions.
Iran accuses Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region of fueling the nationwide protest movement in Iran last September and inciting unrest in the country.
In March, the Iraqi and Iranian governments signed a border protection deal in Baghdad, that includes coordination in protecting the common borders in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
In May, IRGC sent heavy weapons and additional personnel to the border, while sources said they are preparing to launch artillery into Iraqi Kurdistan.
Following the announcement, Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji rushed to Tehran, where he met with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
The two sides discussed the security agreement signed between both countries.
The Supreme National Security Council of Iran has handled sensitive files related to some neighboring countries, including the Iraq file, since 2003.
The Council is the highest security apparatus in the country, and its decisions are approved by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
