Shamkhani: Iran only recognizes united Iraqi government

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani on Sunday expressed the Islamic Republic’s opposition to a referendum on the independence of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdistan region, saying the plan would fail to safeguard this region’s interests, Press TV reported.

He added that the referendum would lead to the emergence of new threats against the Kurdistan region and make the situation a lot more complicated.

At a time when Iraq is nearing the final phase of the full elimination of Takfiri terrorists thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of the country’s people, including the Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens, such illegal measures would undoubtedly have negative impacts on the security of the country, particularly the Kurdistan region, and the entire region, he pointed out.

Shamkhani said Iran has an “unchangeable” stance on the importance of maintaining Iraq’s territorial integrity and unity, adding, “Any disruption to this strategic principle would lead to the review of and serious shift in the trend of the existing cooperation between Iran and Iraq’s Kurdistan region.”

He emphasized that the legitimacy of Iran’s border crossings with the Iraqi Kurdistan region hinges only upon the fact that the Kurdish areas are a part of an undivided Iraq and said the Islamic Republic would shut all border crossings and terminate military and security agreements if the semiautonomous region secedes from Iraq.

The plebiscite is scheduled for September 25 to gauge support for the possible secession of Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

The Iraqi Parliament voted on September 12 to reject a Kurdish independence referendum, requiring Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the central government in Baghdad to “take all steps to protect the unity of Iraq and open a serious dialogue” with Kurdish leaders.

On Friday, Iraqi Kurdish lawmakers approved holding the secession vote in the face of fierce opposition from the central government in Baghdad, the United Nations and the US.

Regional powers like Iran and Turkey have repeatedly expressed concerns about the planned referendum by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), arguing that it could create further instability in the region.