Iraq and Iran Strengthen Border Security with New Agreement

Iraq and Iran have signed a joint security agreement aimed at tightening the border with Iraq's Kurdish region, where Tehran says Kurdish armed groups pose a threat to its security. The agreement includes coordination in protecting the common borders between the two countries and consolidating cooperation in several security fields. Iraq pledges it would not allow armed groups to use its territory in the Iraqi Kurdish region to launch any border-crossing attacks on neighbour Iran. The move comes after Iran accused Kurdish groups operating in Iraq of serving Western or Israeli interests and labelled them as "terrorists".