Iran fired two drones on Monday into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, aimed at the office of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the home of a senior local security official, the region’s Counter-Terrorism Service said.
Mr Barzani condemned the “reckless and unacceptable attacks in the strongest terms”, in a statement on X. He warned the attack marked “a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region”.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has ordered an investigation to “uncover the sources and origins of the attacks", a statement said. Mr Al Zaidi directed that the results of the investigations be “be announced to the public as soon as possible, along with all details surrounding the attacks and parties behind it", it added.
The two Hadid-110 explosives-laden drones were launched from the border area with Iran shortly after midnight, the statement read.
The second bomb hit the residence of the director of the Parastin intelligence agency in the Pirmam district of Erbil, it added. There were no reports of casualties or major damage.
They are the latest in a series of cross-border attacks that have intensified since the Iran war broke out in late February. Iran and its proxies inside Iraq have regularly attacked US troops and the consulate in Erbil, and infrastructure in the region.
“These attacks and assaults are unacceptable in any form,” the agency said, condemning the incident “in the strongest terms” and adding that those responsible bear “full responsibility for their consequences".
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein condemned the “unjustified” attack in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, requesting a clarification from Tehran on its position and on who was behind the attack.
Mr Hussein said the attack “sets a dangerous precedent that could increase tensions and threaten regional stability”, an Iraqi government statement read. He stressed that “such actions constitute a serious escalation with negative repercussions for Iraq’s security”.
Mr Araghchi expressed “surprise at the attack and said he had no information indicating it was launched from Iranian territory”, it added. He said there “was no justification for the incident, noting the positive and strong relations between Iran and the KRG".
Tom Barrack, the US special envoy in Iraq and Syria, strongly condemned the attack on “our friend and valued Kurdish partner”.
“Such aggression against our trusted Kurdish allies is unacceptable and a direct threat to regional stability,” Mr Barrack said. “We will not condone or tolerate these hostilities.”
He expressed support to Mr Zaidi’s “leadership in restoring Iraq’s full sovereignty and ensuring all weapons and security forces remain under the authority of the Iraqi state”.
Since the outbreak of the war, Iraq has been dragged deeper into a conflict it has been trying for years to avoid. Of all countries in the region, Iraq is now the only one being hit from several directions – by Iran, by the US, by Saudi Arabia and by pro-Tehran militias operating from inside its borders.
The escalation started after Iran and Israel began trading missile and drone strikes. Tehran accused the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and other parts of Iraq of hosting Israeli intelligence, logistics networks for US and Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups.
It has responded with ballistic missiles and drones fired from Iranian territory. Targets have included not only US assets but also Kurdish opposition groups, energy infrastructure and local security headquarters. Officials have condemned the strikes as violations of sovereignty but the attacks have continued in waves.
Officials in Iraqi Kurdistan have expressed concerns as the US-led military coalition is preparing to withdraw its forces from the Kurdistan region and transfer bases to Iraqi forces before a deadline of September 30. The presence of American troops has been essential to the interception the drones and missiles.
The deadline was agreed on by Baghdad and Washington in 2024, as part of a broader agreement to transform the mission of the US-led coalition in Iraq from combat and advisory roles to bilateral security co-operation. Kurdistan hosts several key coalition sites that have been used for training, logistics and air operations against ISIS remnants.
