Pars Today

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri revealed that a team of US advisors had coaxed the officials of the Iraqi Kurdistan region into holding an independence referendum.

"The US incited the Kurdistan region officials to hold a referendum and advised them on how to hold it within the framework of a secret consultation team," General Baqeri said, addressing a forum in the Iranian northwestern city of Orumiyeh on Tuesday.

Noting that the referendum in the Iraqi Kurdistan region was one of the US and Israeli plots to foment insecurity at the Iranian borders, he said, "West Azarbaijan and Kurdistan are among the most important provinces of Iran. Therefore, the enemies have invested a lot to disturb security in this region and even display these provinces as insecure because insecurity in this region will affect security in the entire country."

The referendum in the Iraqi Kurdistan region was held on September 25 in defiance of the central government in Baghdad, which says the referendum is unconstitutional and called on the Kurdish leadership to drop the plan.

Iran, Iraq, and Turkey have jointly voiced concerns about the Kurdish vote, warning that it could fan the flames of tensions in the Middle East.

The UN Security Council also unanimously issued a statement voicing alarm over “the potentially destabilizing impact” of the plebiscite. The 15-member council urged “dialogue and compromise” to address the differences between Baghdad and the Kurdish authorities.

EA