Iran has killed four people and injured more in missile strikes against our ally, the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Iran ludicrously asserts that the home of a prominent businessman was a Zionist spy centre but this is just an excuse for a blatant attempt to intimidate a strong ally of the UK and the West. Iraqi Kurds have been key to the defeat of the Isis caliphate in Iraq and their strong beliefs in moderate politics and religious tolerance and pluralism offend Iran, which also sees their existence as an autonomous region as blocking a military arc from Tehran to the Mediterranean. Iran is trying to reduce as much opposition as it can to expelling America from Iraq, including Kurdistan, and Syria which would give free rein to Iran’s aggressive expansionism. The Iraqi Kurds need solidarity and practical means to defend themselves. We cannot abandon our ally in their moment of urgent need.
Jack Lopresti MP, Chair
