TEHRAN, October 6 - The Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri warned in case Iraq’s Kurdistan’s referendum issue is not settled, it would lead to several-decade conflict in the region.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - “If this issue is not settled, it will be the origin of several-decade conflict in the region,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the United States and Israel benefit from the recent referendum in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, stressing that Washington and some of its allies seek to create a new Israel.
The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran on Wednesday.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that holding the Kurdish vote in Iraq was an act of betrayal against the region and posed a threat to the future of the Middle East, warning about the long-term repercussions of the vote for Iraq’s neighbors.
On September 25, the Kurdistan Regional Government held the non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of stiff opposition from the central government in Baghdad and much of the international community. Kurdish officials said over 90 percent of voters said ‘Yes’ to separation from Iraq.
Political observers have warned that KRG’s referendum scenario is in line with Israel’s policy of dividing the regional Muslim states.