Turkey and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the second largest party in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, are walking a tightrope in their relationship. Tensions have simmered over claims that Sulaimaniyah-based PUK allows the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—an organization blacklisted by Britain, Turkey, and the US—to operate in its zone of control.

In this context, Turkey late last year extended for six months the closure of its airspace to flights to and from Sulaimaniyah. The rare measure was first imposed in Apr. 2023, in response to what Ankara alleged was “intensification” of PKK activity in the Iraqi Kurdish city.

Given that both sides have adopted maximalist...