Iranian Kurdish parties in Iraq face a delicate balance amid Iran attacks

Erbil, Iraq – Iranian Kurdish absorption parties person been connected precocious alert since the United States-Israel strikes connected Iran began connected February 28. Their bases successful the semi-autonomous Kurdish Region of Iraq and wrong Iran itself person been thrust onto the beforehand lines of the war.

The anticipation of Iranian Kurdish fighters entering the struggle to topple the Iranian authorities has besides been wide discussed. Both US President Donald Trump and Israel person suggested that arming these fighters could extremity the equilibrium of powerfulness wrong Iran, wherever Kurds marque up astir 10 percent of the population.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Saudi Arabia defends against drone strikes from ‘Iran-backed’ groups
• list 2 of 4Iraq PM heads to Iran: Can Baghdad redefine its narration with Tehran?
• list 3 of 4Gulf states travel nether Iranian occurrence arsenic US strikes intensify
• list 4 of 4Iraq’s premier curate carries the title, but not the power

Several leaders of these parties person told Al Jazeera they bid subject formations and organisational structures wrong Kurdish areas successful Iran, successful summation to office and bases successful the Kurdish portion of bluish Iraq.

Kurdish groups from some sides of the borderline flourished aft Iraq’s decision successful the 1990-1991 Gulf War led to the instauration of a no-fly portion successful bluish Iraq and self-rule by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Iranian Kurdish groups, from the near to the nationalists, were peculiarly good insulated pursuing the US-led penetration of Iraq successful 2003.

On February 22, 2026, 5 Kurdish groups based successful Iraq and occidental Iran formed the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan successful effect to the suppression of the protests. Since the warfare began, their subject and governmental assets successful Iraq person been heavy attacked by Iranian drones and missiles.

Kako Alyar, a subordinate of the governmental bureau of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, claimed his enactment had sleeper cells and networks that participated successful antigovernment protests successful Iran, which took spot successful December and January, until being violently crushed by information forces.

He besides said that since the commencement of the war, 13 fighters connected to his enactment person been killed successful Iranian attacks.

“The outbreak of warfare has changed the circumstances wrong the Kurdish areas, particularly aft the Iranian authorities tightened information measures and suppressed the protests,” Alyar explained.

“The enactment has not received immoderate subject assistance from the United States, nor from European oregon Arab countries, contempt the demands to get specified support.”

Funeral procession for members of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan who were killed successful a rocket onslaught connected the group’s headquarters, successful Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, July 19, 2026 [Ako Rasheed/Reuters]

US President Donald Trump has flip-flopped connected the relation of Kurdish groups successful the US-Israel subject campaign. But determination person besides been reports of US quality moving with Kurdish fighters and that areas on the Iraq-Iran borderline person been peculiarly heavy attacked since the commencement of the war. Some have interpreted this arsenic a motion that Washington mightiness beryllium superior astir crushed operations wrong Iran by Iranian Kurdish groups.

Iranian absorption fighters are sceptical astir the occurrence of immoderate imaginable large-scale subject cognition successful Kurdish areas successful Iran, saying it would beryllium a hugely risky endeavour and would apt pb to immense casualties for their side.

“At the contiguous time, determination are risks, particularly fixed the dense deployment of Iranian forces successful the Kurdish areas and on the borderline with the Kurdistan region,” Alyar said.

The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government had requested Iranian Kurdish parties to refrain from activities that could harm section information and interests, fixed the Iranian response.

Various Iranian Kurdish groups, reportedly with thousands of fighters betwixt them, person agelong opposed Tehran from their bases successful bluish Iraq and on the Iraq-Iran border.

But Iranian absorption leaders are wary of US intentions regarding Iran, suggesting they person not seen immoderate existent volition of authorities change.

”They [the US] don’t privation to enactment forces wrong Iran with the purpose of toppling the regime. The nonsubjective is to weaken the Iranian power successful the Middle East,” Rebaz Sharifi, a person successful the absorption Kurdistan Freedom Party of Iran, told Al Jazeera.

Sharifi rejected claims circulating connected societal media that his radical had received weapons oregon subject assistance from the US oregon different countries.

Still, the Iranian subject has launched subject operations against Iranian Kurdish groups successful bluish Iraq, including reports connected Friday of strikes connected bases there.

Iranian authorities media person acknowledged attacks connected “anti-Iran separatist forces” successful hard-to-reach areas adjacent the Iran-Iraq border.

Sharifi estimates his party’s bases and positions person been attacked much than 80 times since the opening of the war.

The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government had enactment unit connected Iranian Kurdish parties to bounds their movements earlier this existent war, successful a bid to support the autonomous region. Still, wrong hours of the US-Israel attacks connected Iran successful February, retaliatory attacks connected US assets successful Iraq’s Kurdish portion began and dragged the portion into the conflict. Economic targets, specified arsenic lipid fields, person besides been deed successful suspected drone and rocket attacks.

“We person thousands of fighters… We could person done much wrong Iran, but we spot the information and stableness of the Kurdistan Region astatine the apical of our priorities, and we bash not privation to harm the Kurds successful Iraq,” Sharifi said.

Iranian-linked combatant groups successful Iraq person besides been heavy attacked successful US strikes, including aft attacks connected Saudi Arabia blamed connected these groups this week.

Rebaz Sharifi, a commandant successful the Kurdistan Freedom Party, astatine a basal connected the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq [File: Reuters]

Difficult equation

Iraq arsenic a full came nether aggregate attacks from pro-Iran groups and Iran’s almighty Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The US has besides carried retired attacks against these Iraqi groups.

Soran Palani, an adept connected Iranian affairs and an Iranian Kurdish citizen, believes that the Iranian Kurdish parties look a highly analyzable equation.

“Iraq’s Kurdistan Region has fixed these parties a abstraction for political, organisational, and subject activity, but astatine the aforesaid clip it has made the portion susceptible to the repercussions of immoderate confrontation betwixt them and Tehran,” Palani said.

“The lack of nonstop Arab, European, and American enactment represents 1 of the astir salient factors preventing the Iranian Kurdish parties from making a determination to escalate,” helium explained, adding that Iran, implicit the past years, has managed to physique extended power successful Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, successful summation to supporting its allies successful the Palestinian territory.

“Arab countries person not successful instrumentality provided akin enactment to the Arab-Iranian opposition, peculiarly successful the Ahwaz region… This world makes it hard to expect the Iranian Kurdish parties to get nonstop Arab enactment should they determine to unfastened a subject beforehand wrong Iran,” helium said.

The Iraqi authorities said Iraq indispensable not beryllium a launchpad for attacks against neighbouring countries.

Now, 1 of the astir important questions for the Iranian Kurdish parties is whether the existent warfare volition crook into a task for authorities alteration successful Tehran.

For galore Kurds wrong Iran and abroad, a illness successful the authorities could bring a historical opportunity, but, astatine the aforesaid time, it could pb to a large information vacuum and turmoil. The adjacent signifier of this struggle could beryllium important for Iranian Kurds, Iran, the US, Iraq and the wider region.