{"id":841,"date":"2017-09-25T14:29:31","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T14:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madaresharghi.com\/iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings\/"},"modified":"2017-09-25T14:29:31","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T14:29:31","slug":"iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraqi Kurds in independence vote despite Baghdad, neighbors\u2019 warnings"},"content":{"rendered":"

madaresharghi<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum Monday, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbors.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tThe nonbinding vote, initiated by Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, has angered not only Iraq’s federal government but also neighboring Turkey and Iran, AFP reported.<\/p>\n

\n\tTurkey’s president on Monday said Ankara would close its border with northern Iraq and threatened the Iraqi Kurds with blocking their key oil exports, after Iran closed its frontier with the region.<\/p>\n

\n\tKurdish flags were festooned in all the streets, on cars and outside homes across Iraqi Kurdistan.<\/p>\n

\n\tVoters headed to the polls early Monday, many men dressed in traditional Kurdish dress of brown shirt and billowing trousers for the occasion.<\/p>\n

\n\tInitial results are expected to be announced 24 hours after polls close. An overwhelming “Yes” outcome is expected, but Kurdish officials have said there are no plans for an immediate declaration of independence.<\/p>\n

\n\tBarzani, smiling and wearing a traditional outfit, cast his vote early in the morning.<\/p>\n

\n\tPolling stations were scattered across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan \u2013 \u00a0Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk \u2013 as well as in disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.<\/p>\n

\n\tA total of 12,072 polling stations were open for more than 5.3 million registered voters.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn disputed Kirkuk, mosque loudspeakers blared a prayer normally reserved for religious celebrations, but participation in the vote was limited.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe non-Arab ethnic group number between 25 and 35 million people spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.<\/p>\n

\n\tIraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday pledged to take all the “necessary measures” to protect the country’s unity as his government urged all countries to deal only with it on oil transactions.<\/p>\n

\n\tAbadi said the Kurds’ unilateral decision to stage a referendum affected both Iraqi and regional security, and was “unconstitutional and against civil peace.”<\/p>\n

\n\tHours later, the Iraqi government called on all countries “to deal only with it on matters of oil and borders”.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

\n\tTurkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday threatened to halt these oil exports, angrily denouncing an “illegitimate” referendum.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe also said Turkey’s Habur border crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan would be closed.<\/p>\n

\n\tTurkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier said sanctions could also be “with regard to airspace.”<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIran back Iraq sovereignty<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTehran closed its border with Iraqi Kurdistan after saying on Sunday it had blocked all flights to and from the region at Baghdad’s request.<\/p>\n

\n\tPresident Hassan Rouhani had called Abadi late Sunday to reiterate his support.<\/p>\n

\n\tRouhani said that Iran is against any move that would undermine Iraq\u2019s territorial integrity and national unity.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe told the Iraqi premier, \u201cIn our view, Iraq\u2019s Constitution should be respected by all, and any action that is in contravention of the Constitution shall be deemed illegal. All should know that their legitimacy lasts as long as they act within the framework of the Iraqi Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIn this important issue concerning Iraq, we will stand by our neighbor and the Iraqi government,\u201d Iran’s president reiterated.<\/p>\n

\n\tRouhani also pointed to an earlier conversation he had with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and said Ankara and Tehran shared a common stance in their support for Baghdad on the issue.<\/p>\n

\n\tRouhani, however, expressed certitude that the Iraqi government and people would overcome this predicament, as they did in other cases before, by virtue of prudence and wisdom.<\/p>\n

\n\tAbadi warned that Barzani would direct the course of events toward a new confrontation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

madaresharghi Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum Monday, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbors. The nonbinding vote, initiated by Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, has angered not only Iraq’s federal government but also neighboring Turkey and Iran, AFP reported. Turkey’s president on Monday said Ankara would close its border with northern Iraq and threatened […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[639],"yoast_head":"\nIraqi Kurds in independence vote despite Baghdad, neighbors\u2019 warnings - madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iraqi Kurds in independence vote despite Baghdad, neighbors\u2019 warnings - madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"madaresharghi Iraqi Kurds voted in an independence referendum Monday, defying warnings from Baghdad and their neighbors. The nonbinding vote, initiated by Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, has angered not only Iraq’s federal government but also neighboring Turkey and Iran, AFP reported. Turkey’s president on Monday said Ankara would close its border with northern Iraq and threatened […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-25T14:29:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/\",\"name\":\"madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments\",\"description\":\"madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings\/\",\"name\":\"Iraqi Kurds in independence vote despite Baghdad, neighbors\\u2019 warnings - madaresharghi | An Analytical Look at Middle Eastern Developments\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-25T14:29:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-09-25T14:29:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c52e345120843d5f259215c4e809cdd2\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/iraqi-kurds-in-independence-vote-despite-baghdad-neighbors-warnings\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/c52e345120843d5f259215c4e809cdd2\",\"name\":\"administrator\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/901309319175b0d219e688b01909d220?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"administrator\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madaresharghi.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}