Iran and Middle East Studies / İran ve Ortadoğu Çalışmaları

Iran's Reaction to the 'Kurdistan Independence Referendum' The announcement of Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq (KRG) on June 7 that a referendum for independence of the Kurdistan regionwould be held on September 25 sparked harsh reactions from almost all parts of the Iranian administration. Iranian officials have arguedon all occasions that the decision for independence referendum is a one-sided decision that threatens sovereignty and territorial integrity of Irak, and urged the Iraqi Kurdish leaders to give up on this decision. Through mutual visits subsequent to the announcement of referendum, Iranian officials tried to persuade the KRG to shelve itsdecision. In response to invitation of Iran, a delegation of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) including Jalal Talabani, Mullah Bahtiyar, Kosrat Rasul Ali went to Tehran in the middle of July, and met Iranian officials. Secretary General of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (

The Mosul Operation and Iran 2016-10-27 The tension between Ankara and the Baghdad government has escalated over the Turkish forces at the Bashika base, right after the approval of a motion in TGNA that allowed the deployment of Turkish soldiers outside the country, and prior to the beginning of Mosul offensive that has been cooked up for a long time to liberate it from ISIS. Haidar al-Abadi, Iraqi Prime Minister, stated on October 5, “I fear the Turkish adventure could turn into a regional war.” That statement of Abadi is most viewed as a threat to Turkey. Additionally, some people claimed that the Abadi government turned against Turkey because of the pressures of the United States and Iran, which are thought to be influential over Baghdad. Indeed, the Iranian officials have stood with the Iraqi government through continuousstatements. Recently, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani implicitly criticized Turkey in a speech he gave on October 24. He said, “We regard as very dangero