Facing Tehran’s wrath, Iraqi Kurds pay the price after US urged Iran invasion

Iran has intensified missile strikes against targets in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, specifically around Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, in recent days. Tehran claims these strikes target U.S. military assets and Kurdish opposition groups operating from Iraqi territory. This comes after reports that the U.S. encouraged Kurdish forces to prepare for a ground offensive into Iran. While Iran-backed Iraqi militias initially denied responsibility, a former IDF intelligence official, Danny Citrinowicz, stated, "This time it was Iran itself that carried out the attacks." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the actions, saying, "Iran's defensive operations target American military bases and facilities used to plan, prepare and conduct military operations against Iran." The attacks have coincided with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's visit to Washington, which angered pro-Iran factions in Iraq.