Iran helps Iraq's Kurds but Baghdad still priority

The Kurdish dream was never as close to reality as it was in July when the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (now the Islamic State, or IS) invaded the Iraqi city of Mosul. The vulnerability of the Iraqi state was at its peak and Kurds made rapid moves to secure control over disputed areas in Kirkuk. Iraqi Kurdistan’s leader Massoud Barzani called for an independence referendum, and the long-awaited Republic of Kurdistan appeared closer to reality than ever before.

Developments later on, mainly the failed IS attempt to take Erbil, gave the Kurdish leaders a wake-up call; had it not been for Iran and the United States, the semi-autonomous region could have become an occupied land. The United States provided aerial cover, hitting IS posts, while Iran provided the Iraqi Kurdish forces with arms and ammunition. “We asked for weapons and Iran was the first country to provide us with weapons and ammunition," Barzani said at a joint news conference Aug. 26 with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Erbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdish region.

Zarif’s visit was aimed at boosting ties with Erbil, an Iranian official said in a phone interview with Al-Monitor. “Today, there’s an imminent need for cooperation in the region. There might be a lot of differences on ‘X’ or ‘Y’ but this shouldn’t affect our fight against extremism and terrorism; it’s an existential fight,” he said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Kurdistan is a main part of Iraq's diversity and that Iran believes the Kurds can play a great role in the stability of their country. He added, “The Islamic State wants the region divided and the best way to face it will be by getting together.”

Is Iran looking forward to strategic ties with Iraqi Kurdistan? I asked another official who stated clearly that Iran keeps in mind that Kurdistan is part of Iraq, and that therefore: “Relations with Iraq will always be our priority; relations with Iraqi Kurdistan are strategic but not to be compared with Baghdad.” Still, there are other factors that don't get much publicity. Iran’s rapid move toward Erbil is aimed at opening a strong channel with the Kurds, who are in need and vulnerable to any foreign approach. An Iraqi diplomatic source told Al-Monitor, “Tehran well knows that Kurdistan is on good terms with Israel, the United States and Turkey; at least two of the three pose a strategic threat to Iran.” The source added, “Kurdistan’s leader spoke about independence, and Iran is concerned about this. It is seriously concerned because this might have an impact on Iran’s Kurdistan region; therefore they want to make sure everything is under control.”