Ali Hossein Ghazi‌Zadeh, a member of the editorial board of Iran International, regarding the meeting between officials of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and officials of the Islamic Republic in Tehran, at the same time as the Islamic Republic’s attacks on Kurdish-populated areas along the Iran border continued, said: “The Islamic Republic is concerned that, with the continuation of the war and further weakening, the conditions will be created for ground operations from nearby borders, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The trip by Kurdistan Region officials to Iran is an effort to assure Tehran that such an operation will not be carried out from this region; however, ultimately, the likelihood of this scenario depends more on the extent to which the Islamic Republic is weakened than on these meetings.”