Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence spoke today with Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government. Vice President Pence condemned Iran’s recent rocket attacks into the Kurdistan region as an effort to threaten and destabilize its closest neighbor. The leaders also discussed the Kurdish position during government formation and reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the Kurds and the United States.

On the eve of September 11th, Prime Minister Barzani expressed gratitude for U.S. support in the fight against ISIS and noted that more cooperation between the two countries was necessary to capitalize on shared successes against terrorism in Iraq. Vice President Pence congratulated the Prime Minister on several initiatives to promote religious freedom in the KRG and the leaders agreed to work closely on helping Iraq’s persecuted religious communities return to their ancestral homes.