Iran Defends Attack On Iraqi Kurdistan

The state news agencies reported on Tuesday that the Iraqi government expressed deep concern regarding civilian casualties in residential zones, condemning what it labeled as Iran's "aggression" on Erbil.

The condemnation follows a statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, taking responsibility for an assault on what they referred to as Israel's "spy headquarters" in Iraq's Kurdistan region. In response, the Iraqi government announced its intention to take legal measures against such actions, considering them a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and a threat to its citizens' security. This includes filing a complaint with the United Nations Security Council.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported their attack on Israel's "spy headquarters" in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on Monday. Additionally, they claimed to have carried out strikes against ISIS in Syria.

The Israeli "spy headquarters" mentioned in the IRGC statement appears to be the residence of the Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, a multimillionaire who facilitated the export of oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to Israel. Dizayee and several members of his family lost their lives in the attack on his house, as reported by local medical sources. Dizayee had close ties to the ruling elite in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Shortly after the incident, Iranian state-affiliated media released footage purportedly showing the aftermath of the missile attack on Dizayee's residence.

The developments unfold against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East, exacerbated by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militia Hamas since October 7. Iran's allies, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, have become involved, further complicating the situation in the region.

Mahmoud Karimi Beiranvand said that this is in spite of the fact that the presence of foreign nationals is prohibited in 15 of Iran's provinces, as sanctioned by the Supreme National Security Council.

Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday, Beiranvand said, “Approximately one and a half million foreign nationals hold work permits and have legal presence, with the population of individuals without permits estimated to be twice this figure.”

In recent decades, particularly after the 1980s, Iran has experienced a significant influx of hundreds of thousands of foreign workers. Current laws and regulations primarily entail penalties for employers who unlawfully hire foreign labor or issue warnings in such cases.

However, there has been a notable absence of additional measures to create deterrent conditions, discouraging employers from relying on foreign labor and encouraging the employment of domestic job seekers.

Afghans constitute the majority of the foreign workforce in Iran. Some estimates even suggest that the Afghan population may have reached 10 million since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

The rapid growth of the Afghan population in Iran over the past two years has stirred controversy, with certain media outlets and politicians alleging that authorities are actively encouraging the growth, raising concerns about a perceived "threat to national security."

Anti-Afghan sentiments have surged in the past year, with some ultra-nationalists in Iran campaigning on social media for the expulsion of all Afghans on racial grounds, adding a divisive element to the already complex issue.

Fake online profiles were used by Iranian operatives asking Israelis to photograph residences of their homes and the homes of other governmental officials, known to speak against Iran.

The social media accounts had even managed to initiate gatherings near the families of hostages held in Gaza by Iran-backed militia, Hamas.

Through surveys, the social media accounts -- on Instagram, Telegram and TikTok -- had managed to begin gathering personal information on Israeli civilians in an attempt to utilize them in later operations.

The latest revelation was apparently run by the same Iranian network behind attempts uncovered last month to recruit Israelis over social media to carry out spying missions, including an assassination, in exchange for money.

Shin Bet said that since the beginning of the war in the Gaza, triggered by the Hamas invasion on October 7, killing at least 1,200 and taking 246 more hostage, the agency has identified that “the activity efforts of Iranian security forces have greatly intensified, while using digital space for the purposes of intimidation, conveying messages or advancing terror activity.”

The agency said: “Its purpose is to assist Hamas in its war and to damage Israel’s national resilience and war effort, sowing demoralization and deepening social divisions."

Iranian missiles hit several locations in Syria’s northwest and Iraqi Kurdistan Monday night, in what IRGC claimed to be retaliatory attacks against ISIS and Israeli spies. The attack on targets in Idlib, Syria, Tehran claimed its longest range missile strike ever on targets more than 1,200 kilometers away from its western borders.

Explosions were heard near the US consulate in Erbil with no damage to American interests, according to US officials, but killing at least four civilians and injuring six more, according to Kurdish officials.

The IRGC issued three statements to take responsibility for, and explain, the attacks –which it said was “in response to” the recent bombing in Iran and the killing of “resistance” commanders, presumably, by Israelis in Syria and Lebanon.

In the past few weeks, Iran’s top man in Syria, Sayyed Razi, and several high-ranking figures from Hamas, Hezbollah and other Iran-sponsored groups have been killed in similar fashion –by precision strikes, widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.

Israeli officials had no immediate reaction to IRGC’s Monday attacks. The US government, however, issued a brief statement, “strongly” condemning the missile strike at Erbil. 

“We oppose Iran’s reckless missile strikes and support the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s efforts to meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people,” US state department spokesperson Mathew Miller posted on X.

Kurdish prime minister Mansour Barzani was also quick to slam Iran for the “cowardly” attacks and called it a “flagrant violation of Iraq’s and the Kurdistan Region’s sovereignty.”

“I also call on our partners in the international community,” he posted on X, “not to remain silent in the face of repeated attacks against the people of Kurdistan.”

Iran’s IRGC have targeted Iraqi Kurdistan before, claiming that the region is used by Iranian separatist groups and Israeli agents.

It seems the Israeli “spying headquarters” mentioned in the IRGC statements, was in fact the home of the multimillionaire Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who facilitated export of oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to Israel.

Dizayee died in the attack on his house, along with several members of his family, according to local medical sources. He was close to the ruling elite in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Not long after the attack, Iranian state-affiliated media published footage purporting to show the aftermath of the missile attack on Dizayee’s house. Some images include a dead child and are too gruesome to be republished here.

Much less is known about the missile attacks on Syria, which the IRGC claims to have hit ISIS sites in retaliation for January 3 twin bombings at a memorial event for Iran’s most influential commander Qassem Soleimani –killed in Iraq by an American drone attack upon Donald Trump’s order.

The IRGC had warned that it would retaliate for the bombings and the killing of its commander and other proxies’ figures. It has done so, but against ‘soft targets’, not the Israelis or the Americans. It follows a familiar pattern where the regime in Iran speaks and plays tough while taking extra care to avoid direct confrontation with stronger foes.

“They always find baseless excuses to attack Erbil,” the Kurdish Regional Government said in a statement late Monday night local time. “Erbil as a stable region has never been a source of threat to any party.”

Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, the image of the Islamic Republic as a powerful and defiant force against Israel and the United States has been partly damaged, as it has avoided direct involvement to defend its Palestinian proxy. The January 3 terror attack in Kerman that killed nearly 100 people further exposed the regime’s weakness in not being able to provide domestic security.

The missile launched on Monday can be seen as a way for Tehran to demonstrate power, while still avoiding direct confrontation with the US and Israel.

Deputy US Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley highlighted the troubling trend in a statement on Monday, stating that the death penalties were often imposed following what he referred to as "sham trials against defendants who lacked adequate legal counsel."

Paley went on to condemn the Iranian government's record in 2023, emphasizing in his message that the execution of hundreds of citizens reflected a new level of cruelty.

“The Iranian government’s cruelty reached new levels in 2023 with the execution of nearly 800 of its own citizens, many following unfair trials and arbitrary detentions.”

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) group played a pivotal role in exposing the severity of the situation. Their recent report disclosed a shocking 33-percent increase in executions in Iran last year, with at least 791 individuals put to death. Over one-fifth of those executed belonged to the predominantly Sunni Baluch community, indicating a disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities.

IHRNGO had previously sounded the alarm, warning of a potential surge in drug-related executions. The warning came in response to a statement from an Iranian lawmaker in Lorestan province, revealing that the cases of 1000-2000 drug death-row inmates were in the implementation stage.

The concerning trend of drug-related executions has been on the rise for the past three years, with a staggering 69% increase between January 1 and October 10, 2023, compared to the same period in