ERBIL, Iraq — The Kurdistan Regional Government does not intend to join the ongoing regional conflict sparked by the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani told Al Jazeera. The semi-autonomous Kurdish region has faced more than 1,000 missile and drone attacks since the conflict began Feb. 28.
"No party has pressured us to get involved in the war and we do not want to be a party to any conflict in the region," Barzani said in an interview published Saturday. He said the KRG is committed to protecting its territory from external strife.
Barzani said attacks have originated directly from Iran or from militias operating within Iraq, and characterized them as "unjustified," calling for a peaceful resolution through dialogue.
In March, Iran's Islamic new Guard Corps targeted the al-Harir Air Base near Erbil, the regional capital, with five missiles. The IRGC described the facility as "the headquarters of the invading US army."
Barzani said the base has not hosted U.S. troops for nearly 10 years, since U.S.-led coalition forces defeated ISIL and dismantled its territorial control. He said U.S. troops remain in Erbil to "fight terrorism" and have been subjected to repeated attacks.
The KRG supports the Iraqi government's initiative to consolidate weapons under state control. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi promised a state monopoly on arms in a May speech before parliament, a policy aimed at reining in paramilitary groups that gained power following the 2003 U.S.-led war on Iraq. Al-Zaidi's government has set a Sept. 30 deadline for all armed factions to surrender their weapons to state authority.
Barzani said regional authorities maintain no relations with Israel. He added that the KRG is deepening ties with Syria and Turkiye.
This week, KRG President Nechirvan Barzani met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the first visit by an Iraqi Kurdish leader to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
Iranian Kurdish opposition parties have been on high alert since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Their bases, in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region and inside Iran, have become central to the conflict. Both U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel have suggested that arming Iranian Kurdish fighters could shift the balance of power within Iran. Kurds constitute about 10 percent of Iran's population.
