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UAE strongly condemns hostile Iranian attack on Kurdistan region of Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigative committee to identify the source of the attack
- PUBLISHED: Tue 18 Aug 2026, 12:28 PM
[Editor's Note: For the latest updates on US-Iran hostilities since a 14-point MoU expired on August 17, follow the Khaleej Times live blog.]
The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the hostile Iranian attack which targeted the office of the Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, and the residence of the Director of the Protection Agency in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with two drones.
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On August 17, two drones targeted the office of Barzani and the home of the region's intelligence chief in northern Iraq but there were no reports of any casualties, the KRG security agency said.
The attack was launched from Iranian territory, it said in a statement, without clarifying whether the drones had hit their target. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any group for the attack.
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In a statement on Tuesday, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that this hostile attack constitutes a flagrant violation of sovereignty of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and a threat to their security and stability.
The Ministry reaffirmed the UAE's full solidarity with Iraq and the government of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding security and stability.
'Reckless, unacceptable attacks'
Iran and Iran-backed armed groups have repeatedly accused Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of harbouring Iranian Kurdish opposition groups that Tehran regards as a security threat. Iraqi Kurdish authorities deny allowing their territory to be used to threaten neighbouring countries.
"I condemn these reckless and unacceptable attacks in the strongest terms," Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on X, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the region's security and stability.
Barzani cited an investigation by the Kurdistan Counter Terrorism Unit.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigative committee to identify the source of the attack, according to Iraq’s state news agency.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi emphasised to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in a phone call that there is no information indicating that the attack originated from within Iranian territory, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Araqchi also condemned the attack on his X account. He added: “Kurdish friends should be vigilant against false-flag ploys to sow discord between neighbors. We protected our Kurdish friends against Saddam and DAESH, and we're thankful for security they've provided on our border,” using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.
Iraq's Kurdistan region has been repeatedly targeted by drones and rockets. A four-day wave of drone attacks on its oilfields in July 2025 halted nearly half of the region's crude production, with security officials pointing to Iran-backed militias as the likely perpetrators.
In April 2024, a drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, killed four Yemeni workers, injured two others and forced the suspension of gas supplies to regional power plants.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story carries a human element. Her motto is 'get it first, but first get it right'.