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Iranian Revolutionary Guards missile test (archive photo)
Photo: Irgc Official Webiste / imago images/ZUMA Wire
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) attacked targets in neighboring northern Iraq again on Monday night.
The Tasnim news agency reported on Twitter that bases of Kurdish separatist groups had been attacked with rockets and drones.
The Islamic Republic had repeatedly bombed positions in northern Iraq in recent weeks.
The Revolutionary Guards are the elite unit of the armed forces in Iran and far more important than the classic army.
They report directly to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all strategic matters.
"Inexcusable and gross violation of international law"
Tehran accuses the Kurdish groups in northern Iraq of supporting the nationwide protests against the government and the Islamic system of rule.
Since the death of the young Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Amini in mid-September, many compatriots have vented their anger publicly, and thousands have taken to the streets.
In the Iranian Kurdish regions, most recently in the city of Mahabad, the security apparatus is cracking down on demonstrators with particular severity.
The Kurdish regional government condemned the Iranian attack in the strongest possible terms.
He was "inexcusable and a gross violation of international law".
The UN mission in Iraq (UNAMI) called for an end to the aggression.
Meanwhile, according to eyewitnesses, civil war-like scenes have taken place during protests in Kurdish areas in western and northwestern Iran.
In the cities of Dschwanrud and Piranshahr there were violent clashes on Monday, with Iranian security forces allegedly shooting at demonstrators indiscriminately.
On Sunday, emergency services had already cracked down on demonstrators in the Kurdish city of Mahabad.
According to local residents, there are said to have been several dead and injured.
The descriptions from the Kurdish areas could not be verified independently.
There were also initially unconfirmed reports of clashes between demonstrators and security forces from other parts of the country on Monday.
ktz/dpa
