Iraqi Kurdish Independence Referendum A US Plot: IRGC General
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior IRGC general said a unilateral plan by Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to hold an independence referendum is a US plot aimed at creating more division among Muslims in the region.
Today, the US has orchestrated a new plot, that is, Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence, Brigadier General Naqdi, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) deputy commander in cultural and social affairs, said on Thursday during a visit to the Kurdish city of Paveh in western Iran.
The Americans have come up with a new scheme to cause a rift among Muslims and kill more people in the region as Takfiri terrorists are suffering heavy defeats in Iraq and Syria and nearing their end, he added.
General Naqdi warned that arrogant powers should know if they cause further bloodshed in the Muslim world, it would yield no results other than creating a stronger army of Islam against them.
Calling on Washington to learn from its past mistakes, the IRGC commander stressed that the days of Americans and Israelis are numbered.
The comments came after officials in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region announced that the northern territory will hold an independence referendum on September 25.
Masoud Barzani, the president of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), announced the vote on Twitter on Wednesday.
The referendum on whether to secede from Iraq is planned to be held in the three governorates that make up the Kurdish region and in the areas that are disputed by the Kurdish and Iraqi governments but are currently under Kurdish military control.
The disputed areas include the key oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
Iran has voiced opposition to the plan, reiterating its policy of supporting Iraq’s territorial integrity.
In June, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s principled and clear stance is supporting Iraq’s territorial integrity and coherence.”
“The Kurdistan Region is part of the Republic of Iraq,” he underlined.
The spokesman warned that unilateral decisions which are out of step with Iraq’s national and legal norms would only result in new problems in the Arab country, particularly in the current complicated situation in the region and given hostile attempts to drag out instability in Iraq.
“A united, stable and democratic Iraq would guarantee the interests of all people of that country from every sect and religion,” Qassemi added.