Page 9 - bne IntelliNews Country Report: Iran Dec17

On October 29, Iraqi Kurdish leader Masud Barzani announced he was resigning his presidency given the regional backlash the Kurds have faced since the independence referendum. The Iraqi central government, Turkey and Iran have coordinated actions to squeeze Kurdistan economically. As well as closing the border points, Tehran halted all flights to and from the region after the referendum.
Both Iran and Turkey fear that their sizeable Kurdish minorities could be encouraged to push for autonomy or independence should the sweeping referendum victory secure a path towards creating an independent Kurdish homeland.
Baqeri has warned of “bloodshed in Iraq and [impacts on] neighbouring countries” from any attempt at secession made by the Iraqi Kurds.
2.5 Tillerson attempts to bind Iraq and Saudi Arabia in pact against Iran
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed to Saudi Arabia on October 23 to meet with the Saudi royal family and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Alabadi to create a new axis opposed to Iran’s influence over Baghdad, Bloomberg reported.
Iran, on the verge of taking a dominant role in wiping out the so-called Islamic State in neighbouring Iraq, backed by Iraqi Shia Muslim militia, is now in the crosshairs of Washington and Riyadh as it consolidates its access to Syria and Lebanon.
Tillerson, who flew to Riyadh to inaugurate the new Iraqi-Saudi alliance, said in his speech that companies looking to work with Iran should be cautious about relations with the Islamic Republic and also with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has won several lucrative contracts to rebuild Syria's oil refining, telecoms and other infrastructure since most of the fighting there came to an end.
“Both of our countries believe that those who conduct business with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, any of their entities - European companies or other companies around the globe - really do so at great risk,” Tillerson said at a briefing with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.
The IRGC “foment instability in the region and create destruction in the region,” Tillerson told present senior politicians from both countries.
Part of Tillerson’s mission is to help kickstart a joint Iraqi-Saudi council which would look to contain Iran’s influence over Baghdad. His hope is that the growth in relations will weaken Iran’s security grip over large swathes of Iraq.
His comments follow those of US President Donald Trump on October 16 warned that the termination of the Iran nuclear deal is still a clear possibility even though he stopped short of making that move while announcing his new Iran strategy to contain the country.
9 IRAN Country Report November 2017 www.intellinews.com