On September 8, Iran launched a missile at a meeting of the leaders of an opposition group in northern Iraq known as the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). The strike killed six of the 21 members who were present. Eli Lake comments:
Iran faces no real danger from the Kurds, especially the KDPI. Some Kurdish separatists in Iran have conducted attacks on Iranian targets over the years. But the KDPI has pursued a nonviolent strategy for equal political rights in Iran. . . . Even after the missile strike, the KDPI has refrained from calling for a violent response. . . .
Iranian state media initially described the strike as a successful act of counterterrorism. Later, however, the mask slipped. In a television interview, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the missile strike was intended as a warning to America. “The attack against the terrorists in Iraq’s Kurdistan conveys a message to [our] enemies, particularly those superpowers who think they can impose their evil plots on Iran and bully us,” said Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari.
That’s a not-so-veiled threat to military bases in the Iraqi Kurdish region that host U.S. special-operations forces and intelligence officers. In fact, Iranian-backed militias have recently fired at the airport compound in Basra, where there is also a U.S. consulate. The White House subsequently warned Iran that it would be held responsible for any attack on U.S. personnel.
[Furthermore], the missile strike is notable for its precision. . . . That Iran was able to hit the room [in a large compound] where the KDPI central committee was meeting suggests it had both valuable intelligence and the technology to exploit it. . . .
The U.S. and European leaders should schedule a summit with a delegation of Iranian Kurds to discuss how the free world can help their struggle. Iran’s leaders would certainly get that message.
Read more on Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-09-16/iran-s-callous-deadly-message-to-america