State television said more than 336 people were killed in Iran and at least 3,950 were injured.

The one-time allies have been fighting each other for over a week, after the Kurds held a controversial independence referendum and Baghdad responded by seizing control of contested territory.

With Iraq on the brink of bloody sectarian conflict and fears the country could fall apart, the Kurdistan region in the north may have a chance to achieve the independence it has long wanted.