Iraq should not be used as a base for attacks against neighboring countries, the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in a statement on Friday, after reports of militants attempting to cross into Iran in support of U.S. and Israel.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and KRG president Nechirvan Barzani agreed in a phone call "that Iraqi territory must not be used as a launching point for attacks against neighbouring countries," the premier's media office said.
Tehran threatened Friday to target "all the facilities" of Iraq's autonomous region if exiled Kurdish Iranian militants were allowed to enter Iran.
Israel has been bombing parts of western Iran to support Iranian Kurdish militias who hope to exploit the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran to seize towns near the frontier, according to three sources familiar with Israel's talks with the factions.
The notion of an offensive by Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq gained attention on Friday when U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters it would be "wonderful" if they crossed the border.
