Eurasia Press & News
Five Kurdish Iranian groups announced the formation of a united coalition against the Tehran regime in a joint press conference on February 22. The press conference was held by leaders from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, and one branch of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan. Two other branches of the Komala Party did not join the coalition. The decision to form a coalition comes amid heightened US-Iran tensions and potential US strikes on Iran.
As the Kurdish groups have pursued increased unity, the Iranian-backed Shiite Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah (KH) has issued new threats against Iraq’s Kurds. On February 26, KH warned the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where many Kurdish Iranian groups are based, against cooperating with “hostile foreign forces.” The Kurdistan Region of Iraq borders the Kurdish region of Iran. It was not clear from the statement if Kataib Hezbollah’s reference to “foreign forces” is intended to refer primarily to the US role in the Kurdistan region, mainly to Iranian Kurdish groups present in northern Iraq, or both equally.
The five Iranian anti-regime Kurdish groups have been working more closely together over the last several months. They formed a Dialogue Center that has been active in supporting protests in Iran. Rojhelat Info, an X account that covers Kurdish issues in Iran, published the platform of the new coalition. “According to the joint statement, the main goal of the new platform is to strengthen unity among Kurdish political forces, increase political and field coordination, and organize a joint struggle for democracy, justice, and the national rights of the Kurdish people in Iran and Eastern Kurdistan,” Rojhelat stated.
The Kurdish Rudaw Media Network noted that many of these Kurdish groups have opposed the Iranian regime for decades. “The PDKI, a Kurdish opposition group, has fought an intermittent insurgency against Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They supported the nationwide protests in January, which Trump on Friday said had left 32,000 people killed,” Rudaw reported, adding, “The agreement was signed in the presence of senior party leaders, PDKI’s Mustafa Hijri, PAK’s Hossein Yazdanpanah, Khabat’s Baba Sheikh Hosseini, Reza Kaabi of Komala, and PJAK’s Viyan Peyman.”
The statement by the Kurdish opposition groups has led to controversy with supporters of the Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the Shah deposed in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. On X, Pahlavi posted a condemnation of “several separatist groups.” Rudaw noted on February 26 that “Komala Party Secretary-General Abdullah Mohtadi criticized Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi for ‘suppressing the Kurds’ on Thursday after Pahlavi accused ‘separatist groups’ of undermining Iranian unity.”
Rojhelat Info also noted the controversy. “Many do not view these remarks merely as a political position but as a direct attack on the newly formed alliance of Kurdish parties in Iranian Kurdistan and as an attempt to weaken the unity of those opposing the Islamic Republic,” the account stated.
In the wake of the statement by the Kurdish Iranian groups, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq also issued a statement distancing the autonomous Iraqi region from any activity against Iran. “Today, several parties issued a statement in which they threatened a neighboring country. In this regard, we deem it necessary to reiterate that the Kurdistan Region, as always, has been a factor of stability and calm in the region and has never been a source of threat or danger to the security of any neighboring country, nor will it allow any party to use the Kurdistan Region against any neighboring country,” the KRG said. Iran has targeted Kurdish groups in the KRG and Erbil with missile and drone attacks in the past.
In addition to threatening the KRG, Kataib Hezbollah has also warned the US against striking Iran. “Should evil America proceed to ignite the fuse of war in the region, it will find itself facing massive losses that cannot be contained or recovered,” KH stated.
“The Kurds of the region must act rationally and not become embroiled in a military adventure targeting Islamic Iran,” Kataib Hezbollah spokesperson Abu Ali al-Askari said in another statement, according to The New Region. Sky News Arabiaalso noted on February 25 that other pro-Iranian groups in Iraq had accused the US of not fulfilling its agreement to withdraw from Iraq.
