Tensions between Ankara and Baghdad over the massacre of nine tourists in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region showed no signs of abating, as Iraq’s foreign minister blasted Turkey at an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council Tuesday and Iran-backed militias mounted a rocket attack against the Turkish consulate in Mosul, the latest such aggression against Turkish assets in Iraq.

But even as their envoys traded accusations, behind closed doors the parties were maneuvering to leverage the tragedy to their respective benefits, well-placed sources speaking anonymously to Al-Monitor confirmed.

In New York, Iraq’s top diplomat Fuad Hussein accused Turkey of “blatant aggression” against “innocent civilians and property” and called on “occupying” Turkish forces to withdraw from Iraq under UN supervision, labeling their presence in the country “illegal.”

Hussein said Turkey’s claims that its forces were pursuing militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the area were “baseless.” Turkey was exporting its own internal problems to Iraq “at the expense of Iraq.” Hussain was alluding to Turkey’s 38-year-long battle against the PKK, which is now being waged principally in Iraq where the bulk of rebel forces and their commanders are based. Turkey must pay compensation to the victims, Hussain said, recalling that Turkey had been responsible for numerous civilian deaths in the past, including “a crime against humanity committed by the Turkish army in broad daylight.”