Although the current chaos in Iraq has brought the Kurds there closer to their long-held dream of independence, it has not brought them unity. While Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), campaigns for Kurdish independence, other Kurdish political groups have taken a different position, in particular the KDP’s main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

On July 3, Barzani addressed the KRG parliament in a closed-door session, during which, according to a source who attended, he discussed his latest diplomatic efforts to gain international support for independence. The source, who requested anonymity, said that Barzani was not clear regarding a referendum on Kurdistan’s independence, as opposed to what is being reported in the media.

Part of the backdrop to the Kurdish independence question involves the competition between Turkey and Iran for greater influence in Iraqi Kurdistan. Some Iraqi politicians are concerned that Ankara's subtle support for Kurdish independence stems from the aspiration that the KRG will eventually become a vassal of Turkey. Ankara and the KDP have developed strong, particularly economic, ties, while relations between Iran and the PUK are strengthening.

An Iranian delegation led by Hassan Danaeifar, Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad, visited Sulaimaniyah July 6 to talk with representatives of the Gorran movement, which came in second in KRG elections last year, and PUK officials about recent developments. Some interpret the meetings as a sign that Iran wants to bring the two parties closer. In the meeting, Danaeifar reportedly asked Gorran and the PUK to support Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to remain Iraqi prime minister.