Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian urged the Iraq's central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to adopt measures to counter terrorist groups based in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.
The Secretary of the Supreme Security Council of Iraq Qasim Al-Araji, who is visiting Tehran at the dead of a high-ranking security delegation, met with Amir Abdollahian on Saturday evening.
During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister pointed to the expanding relations between Tehran and Baghdad in all fields, and emphasized on the cooperation of the two countries in the field of security, including the need to deal with armed terrorists from the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Amir Abdollahian stressed that the relations between the two countries are strategic and privileged, adding, “We consider the security of Iraq as the security of Iran.”
“Considering the good relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq, we do not expect the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to be a haven for terrorist acts and a threat against Iran,” the senior diplomat noted.
The foreign minister demanded that Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq take full responsibility for dealing with terrorist groups and the apartheid in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from its source.
“We have always wanted a prosperous, free and independent Iraq and we want nothing but good for the Iraqi government and nation, but we will not tolerate the continued armed presence of terrorists in the Kurdistan region and their actions against Iran’s security,” Iran's foreign minister stated.
For his part, the secretary of the Iraqi security council noted that “the Iraqi constitution does not allow the activities of people and movements that threaten the neighbors".
Araji assured that any anti-security measure against Iran will be met with an action by the central government and the regional Kurdish government, and that Iraq considers Iran’s security as its own.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has in recent days launched a series of aerial raids on the positions of Iraqi Kurdistan-based terrorist groups.
The operation came after the illegal entry of armed teams linked with the Kurdish terrorist groups into the Iranian border cities in recent weeks.
The IRGC Ground Force has announced that that the operations against terror bases will continue until all anti-Iran separatist and terrorist outfits holed up in the rugged mountainous area lay down their arms and surrender.
The Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have repeatedly warned that they will never tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along the Northwestern border and will give strong and decisive responses in case of anti-security activities.
The IRGC has on countless occasions attacked and destroyed terrorist hideouts in the Kurdistan region with artillery fire, missiles and drones.
Military officials warn of Tehran’s continued attacks against the strongholds of anti-revolutionary groups in the region, specially the Iraqi Kurdistan region. They threatened the Americans that their bases in the region should also be abolished and not be used as an anti-revolutionary center.