Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani on June 7 announced an agreement among Iraqi Kurdish groups to hold a binding vote in September that could pave the way for an independent Kurdistan, free of control by the central government in Baghdad. An independent Kurdistan, which would border Iran along a province with a large Kurdish population, poses many challenges for the Islamic Republic. Iranian leaders have been vocal in their opposition to any referendum that would split Iraq.

During a June 20 meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, expressed his opposition to the independence vote. “As a neighbor, the Islamic Republic is opposed to the holding of a referendum for the separation of a part of Iraq,” Khamenei said. Those who are pushing it are “opposed to the independence and identity of Iraq,” he added. “Iraq, with its roots and historical and cultural civilization, must remain integrated.”

In a meeting with Abadi on June 21, parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, discussing the goals of extremist groups such as the Islamic State, warned against the disintegration of Iraq, which he said is something that Israel also seeks and something “which will have no benefit for any part of Iraq.” Larijani further said, “Confronting the disintegration of Iraq is very important. We see this as a dangerous thing for all of the nations, and those countries that support it will also be impacted by it.”

On June 10, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi, explaining Iran’s opposition to the referendum, said that during this “complex time for Iraq and the region,” there are some who seek the continuation of instability in Iraq. “An integrated, stable, and democratic Iraq will guarantee the interests of all the people of the country,” Ghassemi said.