Masrour Barzani

Overview

Masrour Barzani is a Kurdish politician and member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). He became prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on July 10, 2019, succeeding his cousin Nechirvan Barzani and leading the government’s ninth cabinet. His career spans intelligence leadership, the campaign against the Islamic State, regional diplomacy, and efforts to unify the Peshmerga. His promises of reform and independent journalism have stood alongside arrests of journalists and activists and restrictions on peaceful protest during his premiership.

Early life

Barzani is the son of Masoud Barzani, the KDP leader, and the cousin of Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region. Those family relationships place him within a political leadership that has shaped the region for decades. Masoud’s son and nephew followed different routes to senior office: Masrour built a career in intelligence and security while Nechirvan served as prime minister. Both subsequently held leading positions within the family’s party and the regional government.

Career

Before entering the premiership, Barzani led the Kurdish intelligence agency and headed the Kurdistan Region’s national security council. His security responsibilities brought him into the campaign against the Islamic State in 2014. His move from intelligence chief to prime minister shifted power within the Barzani family and the KDP in his favor. Masoud backed the transition that made Nechirvan regional president and Masrour prime minister. Competition between the cousins over Masoud’s political legacy and the party’s future remained a significant feature of KDP politics. Foreign officials visiting Erbil regularly met Masoud, Nechirvan, and Masrour separately, reflecting each man’s distinct influence.

As prime minister, Barzani took part in a KRG ceremony announcing the unification of Peshmerga forces alongside Nechirvan Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani. He said the process had taken four years and credited the United States and the coalition against the Islamic State with supporting it. Barzani then identified stronger military capabilities, advanced weapons, air defenses, and personnel development as priorities. He also called on Iraq’s federal government to provide Peshmerga personnel with salaries and financial entitlements equal to those of Iraqi Army personnel. Salary payments were a major crisis during his premiership.

Barzani maintained contact with officials of the Iranian regime even as Iranian strikes strained relations with the KRG. In October 2022, he met Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Safari to discuss trade and industrial ties amid Iranian attacks on Kurdish Iranian opposition targets in northern Iraq. On June 14, 2024, he joined Nechirvan, Masoud, and Bafel Talabani in meetings with Iranian general Mohammad Bagheri. In December 2025, he met Iranian ambassador Mohammad Kazem Aal-e Sadeq in Erbil to discuss Iraq’s government formation and economic, commercial, and cultural relations.

Ideology and statements

In his inaugural address, Barzani pledged reforms, political unity, and free and independent journalism. At his cabinet’s third anniversary, he presented its reform record and promised further progress on freedom of speech. Those commitments must be assessed against his government’s conduct. In 2020, more than 80 journalists and activists were jailed in Duhok province after demonstrations against corruption and poor public services. Two journalists were arrested in Erbil and Duhok for their professional activities in 2022. On July 22 that year, security forces prevented a peaceful demonstration in Erbil against Turkish bombardments in Kurdistan. The arrests and protest restriction undercut his stated commitment to wider freedom of expression.

Role in attacks or conflicts

Barzani headed the regional security council during the Islamic State’s 2014 assault on Sinjar and the genocide of the Yazidis. In December, he announced that Kurdish fighters had opened a corridor around Mount Sinjar for people trapped by the terrorist organization. He described the advance as a strategic victory that would help liberate the rest of Sinjar. Later, as prime minister, he attended a Duhok commemoration of the genocide with survivors and Yazidi leader Mir Hazim Beg.

Iran and Iranian-backed militias also targeted the Kurdistan Region during Barzani’s premiership. On August 9, 2026, he reported more than 1,000 attacks on the region since February. On August 17, two Iranian drones targeted his office in the Pirmam district of Erbil province; the home of the region’s security and intelligence chief was also targeted. The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and Saudi Arabia condemned the attack. Barzani said it would not deter him from carrying out his duties.

Death or current status

Barzani remained KRG prime minister following the August 2026 drone attack and publicly pledged to continue his duties.

Legacy

Barzani’s political standing rests on his progression from intelligence leadership to the premiership, his role in the Sinjar campaign, and his effort to build a more unified and better equipped Peshmerga. His rise also intensified competition with Nechirvan Barzani over leadership within the KDP. His premiership has been marked by a sharp divide between promises of political reform and press freedom and the arrests and restrictions imposed on journalists, activists, and protesters.