
Erbil, Iran discuss enhanced bilateral cooperation, pilgrim services
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw and the Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Kurdistan Region, Faramarz Asadi, discussed bilateral cooperation, reaffirming efforts to ease services for Iranian visitors entering through the Region.
According to a statement from the Erbil Governorate, both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening ties between Iran and the Region. The meeting also reviewed the recent visit of a Kurdish delegation —led by the Erbil governor to Iran to participate in the third joint provincial cooperation summit with their counterparts from Kermanshah, West Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan provinces.
The statement added that discussions also covered the annual arrangements by the Regional government to accommodate Iranian pilgrims traveling through the Region to religious sites in southern Iraq.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Shafaq News
37 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Russian strikes kill three in Sumy as Ukraine hits back
Shafaq News/ A Russian missile assault on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday killed at least three civilians and injured dozens, according to local officials, marking yet another deadly escalation in the nearly three-year-long conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as a deliberate attack on civilians, saying the assault 'once again proves that Russia has no intention of ending this war.' 'The Russians brutally struck Sumy — directly targeting the city, ordinary streets — with rocket artillery,' he wrote on Telegram. Zelenskyy called for decisive action from the United States, Europe, and other global powers, warning that without international resolve, Russian President Vladimir Putin 'will not agree even to a ceasefire.' Local authorities in Sumy reported that multiple rockets struck residential buildings and a medical facility in the city center. The attack comes just one day after renewed peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul failed to produce tangible progress toward ending the conflict. In a countermeasure, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced it had launched a covert operation that damaged the foundations of the strategically vital Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia to the Crimean Peninsula — annexed by Moscow in 2014. The SBU said the operation involved 1,100 kilograms (2,400 pounds) of explosives placed on the seabed beneath the bridge, executed after months of planning. The agency claimed this was the third successful Ukrainian strike on the bridge since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. 'The bridge is now effectively in an emergency condition,' the SBU said, emphasizing that no civilians were harmed. The latest developments follow a dramatic weekend drone offensive by Ukraine deep inside Russian territory. Ukrainian officials claimed the assault destroyed or severely damaged more than 40 military aircraft stationed at several airbases — a major psychological and strategic blow to Moscow. Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged that fires were started at two bases but claimed it had repelled additional drone attacks at three others. The United Nations estimates that more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the conflict began, with tens of thousands of soldiers dead on both sides across the sprawling 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. Despite recent US-led efforts to broker a ceasefire, progress remains elusive. Ukraine has reportedly agreed to a proposed truce, but Moscow has rejected any peace settlement not aligned with its terms. Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and current deputy head of the Security Council, reiterated the Kremlin's hardline position on Tuesday. 'The Istanbul talks are not for striking a compromise peace on someone else's delusional terms but for ensuring our swift victory and the complete destruction of Ukraine's government,' he said. Meanwhile, Talk of a potential trilateral meeting involving Zelenskyy, Putin, and US President Donald Trump has surfaced in recent days, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea, calling such a summit 'unlikely in the near future.'


Shafaq News
37 minutes ago
- Shafaq News
Al-Hol Camp's future: Iraq to convene Geneva conference
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi government is set to host a conference in Geneva this September regarding Syria's Al-Hol camp, National Security Advisor (NSA) Qasim Al-Araji announced on Tuesday during his meeting with US Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Steven Fagin in Baghdad. According to a statement from the NSA, Al-Araji confirmed that the Geneva conference will focus on returning camp residents to their countries of origin. He also reiterated Iraq's support for a negotiated agreement between Iran and the United States through dialogue. Since 2021, the Iraqi government—working alongside international organizations—has begun repatriating Iraqi families from Al-Hol to Iraq, where they are received at the Jadaa camp for psychological and social rehabilitation. However, the process has faced repeated objections, particularly from families of ISIS victims in Nineveh who fear the return of these individuals to their communities. For his part, Fagin praised the Iraqi government's proactive role in managing both internal and external challenges, the statement noted. Both sides discussed recent regional and international developments and reaffirmed their support for stability in Syria. They also stressed the need to activate the Strategic Framework Agreement signed between Iraq and the United States and to promote investment in Iraq, affirming that the Inherent Resolve mission (the US military's operational name for the global war against ISIS) would proceed according to the agreed timeline between the Iraqi government and the International Coalition.


Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraqi salary bill set to soar, economist warns
Shafaq News/ Iraqi government spending on salaries is set to surge, potentially doubling to 5% over the next five years and putting the country's economy at serious risk, economist Manar al-Obaidi, head of the Iraq Future Foundation, warned on Tuesday. In a Facebook post, al-Obaidi forecast a 27% increase in Iraq's public sector salaries in 2024, surpassing 60 trillion IQD ($42.37 billion) for the first time—an amount equal to 40% of total government expenditures. 'Salaries have reached dangerous levels that will have catastrophic consequences for Iraq's economy,' he cautioned. He noted that salary expenses have risen by 50% over the past five years, without a corresponding increase in non-oil revenues or improvements in public services, questioning, 'What's the benefit of raising the salary bill?' Meanwhile, the ongoing salary dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has fueled persistent tension, with the federal government's recent decision to halt salary disbursements to the Region's employees sparking criticism in Kurdistan. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) condemned the federal government's decision calling it a violation of constitutional rights and a form of political exploitation.