2 days ago
Iran-Israel war adds pressure to KRG formation
Shafaq News/ Escalating tensions between Iran and Israel are deepening the political deadlock in the Kurdistan Region, fueling concerns that the long-stalled formation of the Region's 10th cabinet could collapse entirely.
With Iranian missiles and drones entering Iraqi airspace near Erbil, urgency is mounting for Kurdish factions to end their months-long impasse. 'The Iran-Israel conflict has injected dangerous urgency into already fragile negotiations,' observer Burhan Mohammed told Shafaq News, emphasizing, 'This isn't just about forming a government—it's about defining Kurdistan's position amid a shifting regional balance.'
Seven months after parliamentary elections, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) remain at odds over key executive and sovereign positions. In April 2025, KDP leader Masoud Barzani urged rivals to finalize an agreement, warning that Iraq risked being drawn into a broader conflict. Last month, PUK leader Bafel Talabani expressed hope that a deal was close.
Political analyst Luqman Ali, however, offered a stark counterpoint. 'This cabinet has been paralyzed from the start—plagued by internal rifts, financial disputes with Baghdad, and now regional war,' he said. 'Kurdistan lies squarely in the path of this confrontation—geographically and politically.'
Ali also noted that the latest developments could push cabinet formation until after Iraq's parliamentary elections—if they proceed as scheduled.
Notably, this stalemate is not new. Past governments have faced similar delays, with some cabinets taking nearly a year to form. But analysts argue the current impasse reveals deeper, unresolved divisions—now made more volatile by the surrounding regional crisis.
