Iran Says Iraq Agrees to Expel, Hand Over Kurdish Opposition Members

Iran has announced that Iraq has agreed to expel members of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups sheltering in the Kurdistan region or transfer them to Iranian authorities, following a meeting between officials from both countries.

Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, disclosed the development on Tuesday in a post on X, saying the agreement was reached during a meeting of the joint security commission attended by Iranian representatives and Iraq’s National Security Adviser.

He said both sides had agreed to remove members of what Tehran describes as Iranian separatist and terrorist groups from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region or hand them over to Iran.

However, the announcement has not been confirmed by the Iraqi government. A statement issued by the office of Iraqi National Security Adviser Qassim Al-Abboudi after Monday’s meeting said discussions focused on addressing outstanding challenges and improving coordination between the parties, without mentioning an agreement to expel or transfer the opposition members.

The meeting in Baghdad also included representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government, which administers the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq.

Iranian Kurdish opposition groups have maintained camps and bases in the Kurdistan region for decades. Tehran accuses them of supporting foreign interests and seeking to undermine the Iranian government, while the groups have advocated greater rights for Iran’s Kurdish minority.

Iraq and Iran signed a security agreement in March 2023 aimed at strengthening border security and preventing Iraqi territory from being used to launch attacks against Iran. Under the arrangement, Iraqi authorities disarmed Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and moved their members away from the shared border into designated camps.

The agreement helped ease tensions following repeated Iranian bombardments of opposition positions in northern Iraq. However, Iran has resumed deadly attacks against Kurdish opposition groups since the outbreak of the regional war in late February 2026.

The renewed hostilities have increased pressure on Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional authorities to restrict the activities of the groups and prevent their territory from being used for operations against Iran.

Iraqi officials have previously said they were committed to resolving the dispute through peaceful means. The country has also worked with the Kurdistan Regional Government to relocate opposition members and their families away from the Iranian border, while the United Nations processes asylum applications for those seeking international protection.

Five Iranian Kurdish opposition groups announced the formation of a political alliance on February 22, 2026, aimed at challenging the Iranian government and securing self-determination for Kurds.

The reported agreement to expel or hand over the groups could have significant implications for Kurdish opposition members and their families living in Iraq. However, the absence of confirmation from Baghdad leaves the precise terms and implementation of the alleged arrangement unclear.