Roj Bash Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iran has warned Iraq’s autonomous Kurds against thinking about independence, harming relations with the Shiite government in Baghdad and getting too close to Turkey, a senior Kurdish official said.

He said that Iran’s concerns were voiced in Tehran last week to a visiting delegation from his Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two ruling parties inside the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), by Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s powerful Qods Force who is said to exercise enormous influence in Iraq.

“Soleimani told the PUK delegation, ‘You should not think about the division of Iraq and harming Kurdish-Shiite relations,’” the official said. “Soleimani also asked the delegation to keep their distance from Turkey and not join their axis," he added.

The PUK delegation consisted of Kosrat Rasul Ali, the party’s acting leader, its deputy secretary- general Barham Salih and Khasraw Gul Muhammad, a leadership member.

Many voices among Iraq’s Kurds have been clamoring for independence, and the region is keen on closer ties with neighboring Turkey to sell and exports its oil and gas. Relations between the KRG and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s Shiite-led government, have been strained over competing territorial claims and Kurdish aspirations for independence.

Baram Majeed Khan, a PUK advisor on Iranian affairs, said that Tehran did not want the Kurdistan Region to worsen its relations with Maliki. He said that, in exchange, Iran had pledged to keep Maliki in check and made him promise not to attack the Kurdistan region.

Iran wants “to stabilize the political situation in the Kurdistan Region, especially in the green zones in which Iran does not allow political destabilization. Secondly, Iran wants to maintain good relations between the State of Law and the Kurdistan Region. This was in return for keeping Maliki in check and making him promise not to attack the Kurdistan Region. Maliki's stay in office is important for Iran,” Khan said.

"Iran is worried about the fact that the Kurdistan Region has strong economic and commercial ties with Turkey. Iran feels that Turkey has crept into the Kurdistan Region more than it should," Khan added.

A senior PUK official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that existing differences between Kosrat Rasul and Salih also were resolved at the Tehran meeting. “Iran told them that there should be no conflicts between them inside the PUK, and their issues were resolved in Tehran."

Soleimani also told the Kurds that Tehran backs Salih to succeed Jalal Talabani as Iraq’s president. Talabani, who led the PUK for decades and is Iraq’s president, is recovering from a serious stroke.

Kurds tell Iran: Fuck off.

Aslan wrote:ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iran has warned Iraq’s autonomous Kurds against thinking about independence

Is that Irans diplomacy? The Iranian Mullah Regime which accuse the USA and Israel to threaten others now threaten the Kurds not to seek freedom.

But they cry every day for 3 million Palestinians who are arabs and already have 21 states and even the 3 million Palestinians have full autonomy. But the Arab states, Turkey and Iran reject freedom for 40 Million Kurds and their right for self-determination.

The Iranian Mullah Regime is the Great Satan!!!

Even the Arabs hate Iran because of religious historical and cultural conflicts, but the Iranian Mullah Regime still want to be the slaves of the Arabs.

Everyone knows that Iran have a big influence in Iraq, and they supported or maybe even planned to send the Iraqi Army to attack Kurdistan like they try it with their Dijla Forces in Kirkuk, but the Kurdish Peshmerga Army stopped them. Now Iran use the Iraqi army as a threat against south Kurdistan.

And now to the PUK and the KRG

The PUK and the KRG dont can accept such threats. They should make clear that successful negotiations between the KRG and Iran can only happen if Iran orders his dog Maliki to withdraw his Neo Baathist Army from Kurdistan.

The Iraqi Army must withdraw completely from Kurdish land, if Iran dont accept that, the KRG could easily turn against the Iranian Mullah Regime. Iran is isolated in the region and in the world, their economy is in a very bad situation, the west and other parts of the world are against them, there are many international and national sanctions against Iran and Iran have many minorities including more than 6 Million Kurds who seek freedom. And south Kurdistan could participate in some or all of this actions against the Iranian Mullah Regime.

Kurdistan must start to show its strength against their enemies in some situations, especially when someone threatens Kurdistan militarily. But the KRG is sleeping and dont even thing about to send Iran this message, that is stupid, they must do more.

Aaaaah Iran, not enough with that they destroyd the republic of Mahabad, now they won't SK to get independent...

What does Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) doing in Iran anyway and why the hell are they consulting Iran about who should be the PUK's next leader ?! .
I'm surprised that the statement is issued by PUK about Iran's warning considering they and Goran have been in kissing the Mullas and Maliki's hand for the last several years .Is it because we are getting closer to Newrose and they are afraid the Serok Barzani might declare independence and this is this their way of delivering the warning? where is their statement in that regard to Iran's warning ? did they put their head down and came back ?

I know someone would most certainly say that Barzani have allied himself with Turkey so what is wrong with what PUK is doing and I would completely agree . I Just hope and wish that one day we could ally with each other instead of allying with our enemies who wants nothing but our destruction .

There is some odd connection about a treaty - anyone help me?