Iraqi sources report strikes on Erbil and Suleimaniyah in Iraq, according to IRIB

Reports of strikes on the two main cities of Iraq's Kurdish region fit a recurring pattern of cross-border action in and around Iraqi Kurdistan, where Iran-aligned actors and Iran itself have previously targeted what they describe as hostile groups or interests based there. The sourcing matters: initial reports carried by Iranian state media in past episodes have at times preceded official acknowledgement from Tehran, at other times described proxy or militia activity, and the distinction between state action and deniable attack has historically driven the escalation calculus more than the strike itself. The established sequence is attribution, casualty and damage confirmation, then any response from Baghdad, Washington, or the Kurdish authorities, with each step carrying its own headline risk. On transmission, Erbil and Suleimaniyah sit near the northern export corridor through which Kurdish crude has historically flowed to Turkey, a route that has been interrupted before by both political dispute and security events, so the relevant oil channel is regional supply and freight insurance rather than headline Gulf flows unless the conflict widens. Worth watching is whether US or coalition assets in the region are implicated, since episodes touching American personnel have historically drawn direct responses where proxy-only incidents have not. Thin Asian session liquidity has tended to exaggerate the first move in crude and gold on such headlines, with retracement common once attribution clarifies.