Iran and Kurdish Militants in Iraq Reach Agreement to Disarm and Relocate

Iran claims to have pressured Iraq into agreeing to disarm and remove Kurdish dissident groups that Iran accuses of being separatists and terrorists. The agreement, which Iraq has not confirmed, is said to involve the dismantling of armed groups by late September. However, it is unlikely that Iraq will take action as most of the Kurdish groups are small and located in the autonomous region of northern Iraq. Iran's goal may be to reduce the activity of these dissident groups, particularly during the anniversary of the killing of a Kurdish Iranian woman, but it remains to be seen how effective Iran's efforts will be.