Amid nationwide protests in Iran sparked by the death in custody of a Kurdish girl, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard attacked Iraqi Kurdistan for the fifth consecutive day, drawing worldwide criticism.
On Wednesday, the IRGC once again launched artillery and suicide drone attacks against the positions of Kurdish groups opposed to the Islamic Republic in the Iraqi Kurdistan including Komala and Democratic Party as well as the Parti Azadi Kurdistan, aka PAK (Kurdistan Freedom Party).
Iran International has learned that a school close to the headquarters of the Democratic Party was also targeted by the IRGC’s retaliatory attacks, which injured several students.
The United States was quick to condemn Iran's use of ballistic missiles and drone attacks against the Iraqi Kurdistan region and called it "an unjustified violation of Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"Moreover, we further condemn comments from the government of Iran threatening additional attacks against Iraq," the US State Department said in a statement.
The IRGC has so far attacked Iraq’s Koysancak and Soran districts in Erbil, along with Kirkuk’s Altınkopru and Sulaymaniyah’s Zirgvez, claiming that its Ground Force has used pinpoint accuracy missiles and suicide drones to attack the positions in the Iraqi Kurdistan which “played the most important role in the recent riots in Iran.”
At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured in the IRGC’s missile and drone attacks against PAK positions.
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) urged the Islamic Republic to immediately stop its attacks.
The association issued a statement on Sunday saying that the Iranian-American community will no longer be silent in the face of appeasement of and association with “this evil regime.”
The Board of Directors and Board of Trustee's of the Iranian-American Medical Association (IAMA) said in its statement that Dr. Shervin Mortazavi’s meeting with Raisi – which was revealed following a photo of the meeting – was not scheduled by the association, adding that the IAMA was completely unaware of such action.
“Dr. Mortazavi has publicly stated this was a private engagement that had nothing to do with his role at IAMA,” the statement read.
Strongly condemning the meeting, IAMA said that “Regardless of the reason, this was not acceptable by the Board members, hence accordingly and unanimously the Board asked him (Mortazavi) to resign immediately.”
It added that the IAMA has also asked him “to distance himself completely from our organization, which during its 30 years history has solely been a scientific, humanitarian, non-political, non-religious, and non-profit organization.”
“We, as IAMA members, like other Iranians all over the world, strongly condemn what has happened to Masa Amini, a young innocent girl as a distinct violation of human rights,” it said, referring to the death of the 22-year-old Kurdish girl whose death in custody of hijab police has triggered nationwide unrest in Iran.