Iran’s attacks on Kurdistan region and Pakistan escalate Tehran’s threats

Iran doubled down on its decision to launch attacks against Iraq and Pakistan over the last few days. Iran’s Ministry of Defense said Iran has a right to protect itself, claiming the attacks were defensive.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also continued to claim it was targeting “Zionists” and “ISIS” in its attacks. The autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq has rejected Iran’s claims and has highlighted the fact Iran killed civilians in its attacks

The overall message of Iran is that it will continue to carry out attacks where it pleases. However, the pattern of attacks is clear. Iran has exploited areas where there is weak governance or where it already supports militias that influence various states. For instance, Iran’s attacks in Pakistan target the Balochistan region, an area that is already restive. In Iraq, Iran targets the Kurdistan region.

The Kurdish region hosts US forces and the Kurdish ruling parties in Erbil and Sulimaniyeh tend to be pro-American and pro-Western. Iran thus exploits this, targeting what it considers a weak region that cannot resist its attacks. Iran already has powerful lobbies in Baghdad, in the form of various political parties and militias.

Iran has also exploited Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon in the same way. For example, in Yemen, Iran is pushing the Houthis to attack more ships in the Red Sea. This is a new escalation for Iran. READ MORE

Iran already backed the Houthis for years and exported missile and drone technology there. But Iran now wants to operationalize the Houthis, using them to threaten Israel, commercial shipping, and now also to threaten Western navies.