Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq, is in Washington this week. The Kurdistan Region is hoping to pave the way for closer cooperation with the US and the new Trump administration.
The Kurdistan Region already enjoys historic warm ties with the US. The autonomous region took shape in the wake of US support in the 1990s and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it has received backing in the war on ISIS.
Nevertheless, there have been setbacks, such as the Iraqi federal government’s invasion of Kirkuk in 2017 after an independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region.
The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) also faces other hurdles. It must juggle ties with Iran and Turkey.
Iran opposes the existence of dissident groups in northern Iraq. Some of these groups are Iranian Kurdish groups that fled to Iraq and oppose the Iranian regime.
Turkey also has bases in northern Iraq, which it uses to fight the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The PKK has said it intends to dissolve itself, but Ankara is skeptical.
Thus, the Kurds in Iraq find themselves between a rock and a hard place. They sit at a crossroads of civilization, but each side presents problems for their autonomy.
For instance, Iraq has sought to upend energy deals and strengthen its federal hand against the Kurdistan Region. Barzani is in Washington, while Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region, went to Iran for talks.
Meanwhile, KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani held talks about Turkey-KRG ties at a forum in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulimaniyeh.
“We are building on the already strong relationship between Kurdistan and the United States – grounded in economic prosperity and shared values,” Masrour Barzani wrote on X.
He has said he supports US President Donald Trump’s “policy of peace,” according to an article at Rudaw, a Kurdish media outlet.
Barzani's response to Trump
Barzani expressed gratitude to “President Trump, the US government, this administration, and the American people for their continuous support to our people, to our [Kurdish] Peshmerga who have fought alongside the Americans against terrorism... I deeply believe in President Trump’s policy for peace, stability, and economic development... We are here to seek American support to do just that in our region.”
Barzani met with Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (R-Arizona), who is “one of the first Kurdish Americans elected to the US Congress,” Rudaw reported.
Hamadeh praised the Kurdistan Region, the report said. “They have my support, and they have the support of many members of Congress as well,” he said.
The Kurdistan Region also signed energy deals in the US.
“The semi-autonomous Kurdish Region of Iraq has unilaterally signed two energy deals with US companies to develop natural gas resources − a move that has angered Baghdad, which has been trying to control the region’s oil and gas industry,” United Arab Emirates-based newspaper The National reported.
Iraq slammed the deals as “null and void,” Reuters reported.
Kurdistan24, a Kurdish media channel, reported: “Prime Minister Barzani’s visit and the energy agreements signal a strategic shift and growing confidence in the Kurdistan Region’s role as a reliable partner in the Middle East. The U.S. State Department’s supportive statement further indicates a continued commitment to fostering economic partnerships with the Kurdistan Region.”
The deals are valued at a combined $110 billion over their lifetimes, Rudaw reported.
“The agreements are part of Erbil’s larger initiative to achieve round-the-clock electricity access and a testament to ‘Kurdistan’s commitment to peace and progress through economic development,’ the Premier noted,” the report said.
Much is at stake in the Kurdistan Region. Baghdad recently hosted an Arab summit, but Iraq is not sure how to position itself in the region.
For instance, it is still saddled with Iranian-backed militias that have a lot of sway. These groups, called the Popular Mobilization Forces. or Hashd al-Shaabi, have tens of thousands of armed men across Iraq.
In addition, Iran has a lot of influence in Iraq. Esmail Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, was in Baghdad on the eve of the Arab summit. The pro-Iranian groups demanded that Syria’s new president not be allowed to attend the Arab summit.
At the same time the Kurdistan Region is likely looking closely at what happens in Syria. If the US withdraws from Syria, then the US forces might end up temporarily in the KRG. American personnel already are in the KRG.
If the US is no longer active in Syria, however, then the KRG’s role may change. It will continue to be an island of pro-American views in an area where the US faces challenges dealing with Iran and Baghdad.
The Barzanis – both the president and prime minister – are positioning the region for the future.