ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that the Region has been targeted more than 600 times during the recent regional war, criticizing Baghdad for "not doing enough" to restrain pro-Iran militias operating in Iraq and voicing his support of the nascent ceasefire. “Since the beginning of the war, we have been hit more than 600 times. This is unacceptable. Iraq cannot be stable unless it controls the militias,” Nechirvan Barzani said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published Friday. Barzani said the Iraqi government is “not doing enough” to prevent attacks on the Kurdistan Region, stressing that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is “not satisfied” with Baghdad’s response. Strikes by Iran and Iran-aligned factions within Iraq relentlessly targeted US interests, hotels, and Kurdish security forces in the Region following the launch of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran in late February. Most of the attacks have been claimed by pro-Iran militias in Iraq, with Kurdish authorities repeatedly calling on Baghdad to rein them in and accusing them of not taking action given that many of the groups in question are officially on the Iraqi state's payroll through the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The assaults have killed at least 16 people, injured dozens and caused extensive material damage in the Kurdistan Region. On Tuesday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said that Baghdad “knows very well” who the parties involved in the recent attacks on the Kurdistan Region are, yet Baghdad “has not taken any practical steps” to stop the attacks. The US-Iran ceasefire Nechirvan Barzani reiterated his support for the truce achieved between the US and Iran, asserting that there is no "military solution" to the crisis and that "everything must be done to consolidate the ceasefire," as well as expressing his belief that it should be extended to Lebanon. "I also see a clash of mentalities. The Iranians are slow, they meticulously work on details. The Americans want to find quick solutions. But patience is needed," he observed. Barzani also stressed that "no one ever asked us Kurds to intervene militarily in Iran" and that the Kurdistan Region will not be used as a launchpad for strikes on its neighbors.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that the Region has been targeted more than 600 times during the recent regional war, criticizing Baghdad for "not doing enough" to restrain pro-Iran militias operating in Iraq and voicing his sup…
See this event through different lenses
Compare how Western, Iranian, Israeli, Global South, and Pro-Peace perspectives frame this event.
Compare PerspectivesLoading notes...
A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.
Iranian officials reported strikes on US radar and air defense sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, along with the interception of two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States conducted strikes on Iranian targets following the deaths of three US soldiers, with the Pentagon stating the actions aimed to degrade capabilities affecting shipping.
Houthi forces in Yemen announced plans to blockade Saudi ports, while both US and Iranian leaders issued statements on further escalation.