Islamic Resistance in Iraq denies role in Khor Mor attack, offers to ‘participate’ in probe

NEWSROOM — The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it is willing to participate in investigations into recent attacks on the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah, denying responsibility and insisting its weapons are aimed only at “the occupation.”

The shutdown at Khor Mor halted gas supplies used to fuel power stations serving large areas of the Kurdistan Region, including Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, triggering widespread power outages.

In a statement, it said accusations against resistance factions were driven by “malicious parties” who want to “shuffle the cards and cover up a regional conflict.”

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said its operations are directed only at what it calls “the occupation,” a term the factions typically use for foreign military forces in Iraq and the wider region, particularly U.S. troops, and insisted it does not strike civilian targets. “We are against the occupation only,” the group said, adding: “Our weapons are always directed at the occupation.”

“The Iraqi resistance is ready to participate in investigating the repeated attacks, especially those targeting infrastructure and national resources,” it said.

Iraqi and Kurdish officials visited the Khor Mor field on Friday, two days after the latest strike, as part of an joint investigation. The Interior Ministry said the minister and an accompanying security delegation conducted “a number of meetings and field visits aimed at identifying the parties responsible for the criminal act against the field on Wednesday night,” adding that “a detailed report will be submitted to the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces regarding this attack.”

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq is an umbrella label used by several Iran-aligned armed factions that have claimed responsibility for rocket and drone attacks on U.S. and coalition interests in Iraq and Syria in recent years. The statement said the grouping “is ready to participate in investigating the repeated attacks, especially those targeting infrastructure and national resources.”

The offer comes days after a strike on the Khor Mor complex late Wednesday, igniting a storage tank and forcing a complete shutdown of gas production. The stoppage cut supplies to power stations feeding large parts of the Kurdistan Region, including Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, and triggered widespread blackouts.

Since mid-2022, Khor Mor has been struck multiple times by drones or missiles. In April 2024, a drone attack on the field killed at least four foreign workers.

No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack.

It is is one of the largest and most productive gas fields in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, supplying much of the natural gas used to generate electricity for millions of residents.