TEHRAN -- Iran and Iraq have reached an agreement that “armed terrorist groups” in Iraq’s Kurdistan region will be disarmed and relocated next month, Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
“An agreement has been struck between Iran and Iraq, in which Iraq has committed to disarm armed separatists and terrorist groups present in its territory, close their bases, and relocate them to other locations before the 19th of September,” ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said at a weekly briefing.
The spokesperson did not specify where the militants would be relocated to.
A security adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, quoted by AFP, confirmed that Iran was demanding the disarmament of terrorist groups in Iraqi Kurdistan and their relocation to refugee camps, the news agency said.
This demand was outlined in the border security agreement signed by Iraq and Iran in Baghdad in March, the unnamed official added.
Iran has long criticized Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdish region of harboring terrorist groups involved in attacks against the Islamic Republic, with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) repeatedly targeting their bases.
Last September, the IRGC fired missiles and drones at terrorist targets at Iraq’s Kurdish region, killing a number of terrorists.
Kanaani said Iraqi officials have notified authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of the terms of the memorandum of understanding with Iran. He said Iraqi officials as well as Special Representative for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are aware of Iran’s stance.
The spokesman stressed that the September 19 deadline will not be extended in any way. Iran, he said, will take matters into its own hands to ensure its own security if the deadline passes without any implementation of the agreement.
“Iran-Iraq relations are friendly, warm, friendly and constructive, but the presence of anti-Iran terrorists on the Iraqi soil in a blight on mutual relations. We expect the Iraqi government to eliminate the bane,” Kanaani said.
Kanaani also denounced the presence of U.S. occupation forces in Syria as completely illegal, stating that their deployment has not been at the request of the Damascus government and Syrian state officials have long been demanding their immediate withdrawal.
“Developments in Syria have shown that the U.S. military presence is not only illegal but also the root cause of sustained instability. It provides terrorist groups with the opportunity to survive. We view U.S. military presence in the region as detrimental to peace, stability and tranquility,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanaani said the incumbent Iranian administration pursues two approaches as regards the removal of cruel sanctions against the country.
At the same as Tehran is holding negations for the return of all parties to their commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, it attempts to neutralize the sanctions, he pointed out.
Kanaani said the United States should explain its links to Jamshid Sharmahd sentenced to death in Iran, adding that progress had been made in a prisoner swap deal with Washington.
Kanaani’s remarks came after a U.S. envoy for Iran, Abram Paley, met on Friday with the family of Sharmahd, who was convicted of heading a pro-monarchist group accused of a deadly terrorist bombing in 2008.
Sharmahd, who also has U.S. residency, was sentenced to death by an Iranian Revolutionary court in February on charges of “corruption on earth”.
Iran on Aug. 10 released four imprisoned U.S. citizens into house arrest, where they joined a fifth already under home confinement, in the first step of a deal under which the five would eventually be allowed to leave the Islamic Republic.
Kanaani said progress has been made regarding implementation of the deal, thanking the “constructive role” of neighboring Qatar and Oman in facilitating the agreement.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanaani stressed that Tehran-Moscow cooperation fall within the framework of bilateral relations and common interests, and is anchored in international laws.
He roundly dismissed Western allegations Iranian military drones have been employed against Ukraine.
“Iran’s cooperation with Russia had existed before the start of the war, will continue within the framework of mutual ties and is not directed at any third party,” he said.