The Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, denied a report broadcast by Reuters on Monday, linking the Iranian missile attack on Erbil earlier this month to the region's hosting of gas talks that included Israel.
In a speech to an energy forum in Dubai, Barzani said, "Erbil has not hosted any meeting with the Israelis regarding natural gas, and the news circulating about that is unfounded."
He stressed that the Iranian bombing targeted the house of a Kurdish businessman in Erbil, stressing that there was no legal justification for this bombing.
He considered that the development of the oil and gas sector in the region may not be in the interest of energy-producing Iran, pointing out that the attempts to stop the region are not limited to missiles, but also there are institutions that are being manipulated, in reference to a decision of the Iraqi Federal Court, which considered the oil and gas law in The territory is unconstitutional, and has demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over crude supplies to the federal government.
The Prime Minister of Kurdistan described this decision as a "grave injustice" and indicated that he is negotiating with the federal government, and that he is determined to preserve constitutional rights, and stressed that the region has given assurances to its trading partners and international organizations that it is still committed to respecting its contracts.
In another context, Barzani indicated that the region will start exporting natural gas to Europe soon, "and we will become a source of gas to the rest of Iraq and Turkey in the near future, and we will help meet their needs" of energy security.
The villa of Kurdish businessman Baz Karim Al-Barzanji, which was targeted by the Iranian bombing (European)
gas export to europe
Yesterday, Reuters quoted Iraqi, Turkish and American sources as saying that a nascent plan for the Iraqi Kurdistan region - to provide Turkey and Europe with gas with the help of Israel - is part of what angered Iran and prompted it to bomb Erbil with 12 ballistic missiles earlier this month, in an attack that many observers described as inappropriate. preceded.
The choice of the target puzzled many officials and analysts.
Most of the missiles hit the villa of Kurdish businessman Baz Karim Al-Barzanji, who works in the energy sector in the autonomous region.
Iraqi and Turkish officials - who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity this week - stressed that they believed the attack was a multi-pronged message to US allies in the region, but that the main motivation was a plan to pump Kurdish gas to Turkey and Europe with the participation of Israel.
"The timing of the attack in Erbil is interesting. It seems that it was directed mostly to energy exports from Iraqi Kurdistan and to potential cooperation that might include Israel," one of the Turkish officials said, noting that some talks about natural gas exports from Iraqi Kurdistan were held "and we know that they are taking place with American participation." and Israel” and Turkey supports that as well.
The Iraqi security official confirmed that at least two meetings to discuss this matter with energy experts from the United States and Israel were held in the villa inhabited by Al-Barzanji, which he said explains the choice of the target of the Iranian missile strike.
No one was seriously injured in the attack, but the villa was badly damaged.
An Iraqi government official and a Western diplomat in Iraq pointed out that Al-Barzanji is known to host foreign officials and businessmen in his home, and that among them are Israelis.
The Iraqi security source and the former US official said that the Barzanji-owned Kar Oil Group was working to speed up the gas pipeline.
Ultimately, the former US official added, the new pipeline would connect to an already completed line on the Turkish side of the border.
The office of Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani denied holding any meetings with US and Israeli officials to discuss a pipeline in Villa Barzanji.
The Kurds deny any Israeli military or official presence on their land.
violent attack
The March 13 attack on Erbil shocked officials across the region for its ferocity, and the IRGC has embraced it in a rare public fashion.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard confirmed that the attack hit Israeli "strategic centers" in Erbil, and was in response to an air strike launched by Israel that killed two of its members in Syria.
This disclosure places Iran's attack on Erbil in the context of the energy interests of regional parties, and not in response to a single Israeli military attack on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as has been widely reported.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry stressed that it is not aware of the issue.
Al-Barzanji's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Turkish, Iraqi and Western sources - mostly requesting anonymity - said that the move comes at a politically sensitive time for Tehran and the region, as the gas export plan may threaten Iran's position as a major supplier of gas to Iraq and Turkey, while its economy is still under the weight of international sanctions. .
Efforts to revive a nuclear agreement between Iran and the West have faltered in the past few weeks, raising doubts about the possible lifting of sanctions on Tehran, including on its oil sector.
This comes at a time when Israel and Turkey are strengthening their relations and looking for more cooperation in the energy field.
While the sanctions imposed on Russia, due to its invasion of Ukraine, threaten a severe energy shortage in Europe.