Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir has come out strongly against Kurdish statehood, saying that the only entity an independent Kurdistan would serve, is Israel – and that the Islamic Republic is determined not to let that happen.
“We have not forgotten that [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu is the only one who with great joy supports the independence of Kurdistan, but we will never let him fulfill his dreams for Iraq and this region. Netanyahu will have to continue to dream,” he said.
With the breakup of Iraq imminent, Kurds in the north of the country have taken control of principal cities such as Kirkuk. While stopping short of declaring independence, the area has generally been considered autonomous, especially in light of the breakdown of central authority due to the civil war in Iraq that has resulted in important gains for Islamist radicals in many parts of the country.
With many analysts saying that a complete dissolution of Iraq is just a matter of time, it's possible that the Kurds might try to declare independence – and in comments last week, Netanyahu said that Israel should “support the Kurdish aspiration for independence.” Besides Netanyahu, both President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman have publicly advocated for Kurdish independence.
Iran, however, will not allow an independent Kurdistan to be established, said Abdollahian. In an interview, Abdollahian said that Iran had been in touch with Kurdish leaders, telling them that “the division of Iraq will not serve anyone. Talk of Kurdish independence will set back Iraqi Kurds by decades.
“We say this to the Kurds out of love and friendship,” he said, adding that “Iran will not allow the Zionist plot for the dissolution of Iraq to take place.”