Ambassador Steven H. Fagin, the Charge d’Affaires in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, in a meeting with Kurdish leaders on Sunday underlined that drone attacks need to stop in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Ambassador Fagin was previously the U.S. Consul General in Erbil from 2018-2020.
Read More: Prime Minister Barzani Calls For End of Attacks on Kurdistan
The U.S. Consulate General in Erbil posted on X that during a meeting with President Masoud Barzani and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Ambassador Fagin underscored that the attacks should stop and Iraq should hold perpetrators to account.
Furthermore, Ambassador Fagin “stressed the U.S. commitment to our security partnership with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and our mutual efforts to unlock a solution on salary payments and oil exports.”
#CDA Fagin met with @masoudbarzani and @masrourbarzani in Erbil today. He underscored the need for drone attacks in the IKR to stop and for the Iraqi government to hold perpetrators to account. The #CDA stressed the U.S. commitment to our security partnership with the IKR and… pic.twitter.com/iQmn7hNHbj
— U.S. Consulate General Erbil (@USCGERBIL) July 19, 2025
On Thursday, an agreement was reached between Erbil and Baghdad after several days of negotiations to resume paying KRG government salaries that Baghdad had halted in May, and to resume oil exports that were halted in 2023.
According to a KRG readout, during the meeting between Prime Minister Barzani and
U.S. Ambassador Fagin, the U.S. Envoy reaffirmed the “United States’ firm support for a strong, stable, and federal Kurdistan Region.”
They also strongly condemned the ongoing drone attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region’s oil fields and energy infrastructure, calling for an immediate end to these acts of sabotage.
Prime Minister Barzani expressed his gratitude for Washington’s continued commitment and partnership.
Moreover, according to the KRG readout, both sides emphasized the urgent need for the federal government to promptly send the Kurdistan Region’s salaries and financial entitlements, and to resume oil exports via the Turkish port of Ceyhan without further delay.
Additionally, they stressed the importance of forming a new KRG cabinet before the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan have failed to form a government since the October 20, 2024, parliamentary elections.
According to a readout from President Masoud Barzani’s office, in a separate meeting U.S. Ambassador Fagin also “acknowledged President Barzani’s role and efforts in supporting the peace process in Turkey and in bringing together and unifying the Kurdish parties in Syria.
“President Barzani affirmed that the peace process in Turkey is in the interest of all sides and the region, and that they fully support it with all possible means and will take any necessary steps to advance it,” the readout said.
Prime Minister @masrourbarzani received Ambassador Steven Fagin, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.https://t.co/ILm25RhwpK
— Kurdistan Regional Government (@Kurdistan) July 19, 2025
In October, a new peace process was launched between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish state, after Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, called on the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to come to the parliament and disband the PKK.
As part of this process, on July 11, a disarmament ceremony was held in Sulaymaniyah where 30 PKK fighters laid down their weapons.
Read More: Dialogue Better Than War: President Barzani
On July 12, during the visit of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party delegation from Turkey to Erbil, President Masoud Barzani stressed that ten years of dialogue are better than one hour of war.
