Iran warns Iraq of 'eleventh-hour decision' about disarmament of Kurdish separatists

The Iranian defense minister says Tehran will not extend the ultimatum given to Iraq to disarm Kurdish terrorist groups, warning Baghdad of an "eleventh-hour decision" on the matter.

Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani made the remarks in an interview with Iran newspaper published on Sunday, referring to a security agreement concluded between Iran and Iraq. Under the agreement, the Iraqi government has promised to disarm terrorist groups based in Kurdistan region by September 19, vacate their military barracks there, and transfer them to the camps established by the Baghdad government.

"We do not have any extension [to the deadline]. We will act in due time in accordance with the agreement made [with Iraq]," he said.

The Iranian defense chief said the Iraqi government has carried out a series of measures. He said Iran will conduct a last-minute assessment of the situation before making the final decision.

Iraqi media reported on Saturday the country's border guards have managed to gain full control over an area on the Kurdistan region’s border with Iran and drive out terrorist groups following fierce clashes.

Iraq’s Shafaq News Agency cited the country’s Border Guard Forces as saying in a statement late on Friday that they had seized border points in Erbil Province and raised Iraq’s national flag in the area after clashes with the “outlaws”.

However, Iran's Nour News, which is affiliated with the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said in a post on X on Sunday that despite the active measures taken by the federal government in Baghdad to implement the security agreement between the two countries, some clauses of the pact "have not been fully implemented, which must be followed up."

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on September 13 that Baghdad was committed to a security pact with Iran to disarm anti-Iran terrorist groups based in the Kurdistan region.

Stressing that the Iraqi constitution does not allow any group to use the Iraqi territory to attack other countries, Hussein said the Baghdad government and the Kurdistan region are cooperating in this regard and both take implementation of the security agreement seriously.

MG