The US has reportedly struck a secret deal with Kurdish fighters in Iraq, according to a report this week from the Iranian state-run Mehr news agency. According to Mehr, the deal concerns the US approval of a sale of “advanced air defense systems” to Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iranian news agency Mehr reports that the deal was struck without the consent of the Iraqi central government. It went on to relay the Iranian government’s displeasure at the move. The Mehr News Agency is based in Tehran and owned by the Iranian government’s Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization.
Nasser Kan’ani, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted by the report as saying, “We have never trusted the US government and we will never trust it because it has pursued its relations to create tension between countries.” The spokesperson added that Iran expected explanations from the Iraqi government regarding the deal.
Mehr news also reported that Jassem al-Mousawi, an Iraqi lawmaker, declared the deal to be in conflict with international law, calling upon his government “to stop this deal by following international diplomatic methods.” The lawmaker additionally labeled the move as an interference with Iraq’s internal affairs.
Abbas Araqchi, Iranian deputy foreign minister for political affairs (R), Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman (L) and Iran’s government spokesman Ali Rabiei attend a news conferenece in Tehran, Iran July 7, 2019 (credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)It also reported that the Iranian and Iraqi governments had previously reached a security agreement that would obligate the Iraqi government to disrupt Kurdish armed groups. Additionally, the Iranian news agency quoted Kan’ani as saying, “Being a refugee with a weapon shows that the groups that are stationed there are not refugees and they have terrorist natures and separatist motives.”
What threat would the sale pose to Iran
Despite the Iranian and Iraqi governments’ reported objections, the alleged weapons sale only pertains to defensive weapons. Nevertheless, Mehr reports that US observers noted that the provision of offensive weaponry has yet to be ruled out, a prospect the Tehran-based news outlet warns “could pose a severe threat to Iran’s national security.”
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