Kurds

The strategic misjudgment of the Kurdish factor in Iran’s war - opinion

While Washington initially expressed rhetorical support for the Kurdish opposition, it later issued more cautious messages discouraging active Kurdish involvement in the conflict.

|ByVEYSI DAG
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.
Members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participate in a military drill in an outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on January 15, 2026.

Will Iraq finally help protect Kurdistan's oil fields from drone attacks? - analysis

For Iraq, it doesn’t seem to matter if the Kurdistan Region is attacked, because then the region can’t sell oil or provide itself with gas for electricity.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party, known as PAK take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq.

Drone attack reported in Iraq's Kurdistan region, as US-Iran tensions grow

The attack “caused extensive damage to the building, but no casualties were reported. No party has claimed responsibility so far,” local media reported.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One, after attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, June 8, 2026.

Trump says agreement with Iran approved by all parties involved, including Israel, cancels strikes

The MOU would extend the ceasefire for 60 days, including in Lebanon, during which time nuclear negotiations would be held, according to an Axios report.

|ByDANYA SAPERSTEIN, AMICHAI STEIN

US, Kurds discuss potential Iran military operation, sources say

While a final decision has not yet been made, the goal of a joint operation would be to create room for Iranians opposed to the Islamic regime to rise up.

MARCH 4, 2026ByREUTERS
Kurdish internal security forces stand guard, as Syrian Kurds demonstrate to demand the release of Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been held in prison by Turkey since his capture in 1999, in Qamishli, Syria February 15, 2026.

Pahlavi’s challenge: Will he overcome Kurdish distrust to lead a unified Iran? - opinion

Iran’s opposition struggles to unite as minority rights remain unresolved.

MARCH 2, 2026ByVEYSI DAG
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah and an Iranian opposition figure, speaks during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 13, 2026.

The Kurds' moment: Why Iran’s Kurdish opposition thinks history is turning in its favor

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq have faced incredible hardships. They have persevered. Now they sense that their moment has arrived.

MARCH 1, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
KURDISH GEN. Hussein Yazdanpanah, whom the writer first met almost a decade ago, has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty for years.

For Kurds in Iraq, Iran conflict has opportunities and pitfalls - analysis

In the past, some Kurds were able to seek refuge in Iran during Saddam Hussein’s genocidal poison gas attacks. However, the Iranian regime has been persecuting Kurds over recent decades.

FEBRUARY 28, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Travellers, mainly Iranian Kurds, arrive at the Haji Omran border crossing with Iran (Iranian flag in the background), in Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on February 1, 2026.

Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq threatens US, Kurdish groups

The militia's threat came as the US Embassy in Israel said it had authorized the departure of non-essential personnel on Friday.

FEBRUARY 27, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah wave the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad

Will Iran remain a unified country? - opinion

The phenomenon of empires disintegrating along ethnic lines has been known for many generations.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026ByMORDECHAI KEDAR
Protesters gather under a huge "Lion and Sun" pre-Iranian Revolution national flag, placed in front of Munich’s famous Church of Our Lady Liebfrauenkirche, during a demonstration organised by The Munich Circle calling for a free Iran, during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in Munich, Germany.

Rojava failed, but Kurdish pragmatism may succeed where utopia did not - opinion

Rojava is shifting from revolutionary autonomy toward conditional integration.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByVEYSI DAG
Members of the Kurdish community and other protesters attend a demonstration against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Berlin, Germany, January 24, 2026.

Washington's tactical amnesia on Syria could fuel jihadist resurgence - analysis

Why Western policy may be paving the way for Islamist rule, ethnic cleansing, and regional instability

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByERIC R. MANDEL
Soldiers from Hay’at at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a prominent Sunni Islamist militant group and political organization formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, hold a demonstration in Damascus, Syria.

Islamic State terrorists kill four Syrian government security personnel in northern Syria

The assault on a checkpoint west of Raqqa city underlined an escalation in attacks by the jihadist group against President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByREUTERS
An ISIS member carries an Islamic State flag in Syria.

Five Kurdish groups form political coalition to challenge Iran’s regime

Five Kurdish Iranian opposition groups unite to form a powerful new coalition against Tehran’s regime, focusing on self-determination and democracy.

FEBRUARY 22, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Five Kurdish Iranian opposition groups have formed a coalition against the regime in Iran.