Iran Condemns Drone Attack on Residence of Iraqi Kurdish Premier

TEHRAN, Aug. 17:  Iran has condemned a drone attack targeting the residence and private office of Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), calling the incident a “highly suspicious development” that requires careful investigation.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran remains committed to maintaining and strengthening friendly relations with Iraq and the KRG, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

Baghaei urged all sides to thwart what he described as “sinister plots” by enemies of Iran and Iraq aimed at damaging relations between the two countries.

Earlier Monday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein discussed the attack by phone with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said the attack targeted Barzani’s residence and private office using Hadid-110 drones.

Hussein condemned the attack as unjustified and sought clarification of Iran’s official position, warning that such actions represented a “dangerous escalation” that could negatively affect Iraq’s security and regional stability.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has suggested that a drone attack targeting the office of Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), may have been a false-flag operation aimed at creating tensions between Iran and its neighbors.

“Nothing justifies the reckless attack on PM Barzani's office,” Araghchi wrote on X on Monday. He urged Kurdish authorities to remain vigilant against what he described as “false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors.”

Araghchi said Iran had previously protected Kurdish forces against Saddam Hussein and Islamic State militants and expressed gratitude for the security provided by Kurdish authorities along Iran’s border.

Two drones targeted the Kurdistan Regional Government prime minister’s office, according to Kurdish security authorities, who said the drones were launched from Iranian territory. No casualties were reported.

The attack comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the Kurdistan Region, with Kurdish authorities attributing the strike to an Iranian drone while Tehran has raised the possibility that the incident was intended to provoke tensions between neighboring countries.