Tehran, March 29 (ANI) — A drone strike on the residence of Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani prompted sharp mutual accusations between the United States and Iran on Saturday. Washington accused Iran-backed militias of carrying out the attack, while Tehran alleged the strike was an attempted US‑Israeli assassination.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing state broadcaster Press TV, denounced the targeting of the Kurdistan president as “a clear act of terrorism,” accusing what it called “aggressor enemies” — naming the US and Israel — of responsibility. The IRGC described the incident as part of a pattern of “cowardly assassinations” intended to destabilise the region, said it stood ready to defend regional partners and called for stronger security cooperation and a “collective defence shield,” according to Press TV.
The US, through Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, blamed “Iran’s terrorist militia proxies in Iraq” for the attack. In its statement Washington strongly condemned strikes on Barzani’s private residence, calling them a direct assault on Iraq’s sovereignty, stability and unity and denouncing the actions of Iran and its proxies.
Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government confirmed the drone strike in Duhok. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called the incident a “cowardly drone attack,” urged the federal government to act against those responsible and appealed for international support to protect the region. He said authorities reserve the right to confront the groups behind such attacks and to take necessary measures to safeguard citizens and regional interests.
