‘Iran understands reality of the Kurdistan Region’
As an independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region becomes an increasingly hot topic, more discussions rise on whether the regional powers, especially Iran, will accept such a move.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – As an independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region becomes an increasingly hot topic, more discussions rise on whether the regional powers, especially Iran, will accept such a move.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has stable, historical relations with its neighboring countries, including Iran, which has its General Consulate in Erbil and Sulaimani.
In an interview with Kurdistan24, Khalid Azizi, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Iran, an Iranian Kurdish opposition party, said, “Kurdistan has a government, sovereignty, formal army, economy and foreign countries have representative offices in Erbil.”
Azizi explained that Kurds have encountered several obstacles in the past related to their desire for independence.
“Iran cannot impose its will and prevent the Kurdistan Region from holding the referendum,” Azizi said. “ In the end, the Islamic Republic of Iran will have to deal with the status quo.”
Additionally, Mahmoud Muhammed, a member of the KDP Political Bureau, stated that Iran considers a referendum the right of a nation. “As a country that plays an active role in the region, Iran understands the reality of the Kurdistan Region and the rights and freedoms of its people,” he added.
Professor Dlawer Ala'Aldeen, the Founding President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI), said that Iran will deal with the status quo.
The Professor also explained that the most important thing for Iran is that an independent Kurdistan does not pose a threat to neighboring countries.
“It is the responsibility of the Kurds to ensure that this [independence] is not a threat to Iran,” Ala'Aldeen added.
The Iranian Consulate General in Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Saadullah Masudian, told Kurdistan24 last week that the “Islamic Republic of Iran agrees to end the Sykes-Picot agreement and make new changes to the borders only if the people of the region demand it, without the interference of external powers.”
Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany