Kurdish groups in Iran have called for an uprising against the Iranian regime. Many of these groups have fought the regime for decades. They have faced persecution and oppression.
There are a number of different Kurdish parties in Iran, and some of them are armed. They often maintain camps or forces in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Iran has pressed Iraqi authorities to crack down on the Kurdish groups in Iraq and close their camps and offices. Iran has also targeted the Kurds in Iraq many times.
On June 13, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) said,” As long as this regime remains in power, the situation will only deteriorate. Therefore, the first and most important prerequisite for saving Iran's citizens from this crisis, destruction, and darkness is to completely remove and end this regime.” PDKI is one of the oldest Kurdish parties, founded in 1945. It has played a key role in Kurdish politics for generations. This has included the Kurdish fight for rights and independence in the region. Iran has targeted the group’s leaders in the past.
A smaller Kurdish group is the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK). This group is led by Hussein Yazdanpanah. He and the PAK played a key role in fighting ISIS in Iraq alongside other Kurdish Peshmerga fighters from the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Kurds call for nationwide uprising
His group put out a statement on June 13 saying, “As expected, the Revolutionary Guards' nuclear and missile bases, drone production centers, military bases, and commanders in their hidden holes were finally attacked by Israel this morning.
“PAK insists on a nationwide uprising to end the regime or to reduce it in Tehran. It hopes that the people's uprising will end in 46 years and bring the judgment of crime and plunder.”
The statement goes on to note that “as a result of these attacks, many of these institutions have been destroyed and a number of senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guards have been killed. Tehran is responsible for the war because of its attempts to produce nuclear and missile weapons, threats to regional stability and security, threats to destroy Israel, and the formation of terrorist groups and organizations in the Middle East.”
The PAK also says that “In the past 100 years in general and the 46 years of the Islamic Republic in particular, the Iranian state has spent its public revenues on military, security and terrorist projects at the expense of starving the people; It has never succeeded in any foreign war and its entire war and security machinery has been in the service of suppressing the oppressed nations and preserving its non-native and colonial structure.” PAK has said it supports Israel’s attack on the regime’s military and security capabilities.
The Kurdish group Komala’s Secretary-General, Abdullah Mohtadi, is in Washington and has given an interview in the wake of the Israeli attack. According to a post on X, he has also been holding meetings in Washington. “During a week of high-level meetings in Washington, Komala’s Secretary-General Abdullah Mohtadi reaffirmed support for a non-nuclear, democratic Iran, Kurdish rights, and peaceful relations with neighbours. Key talks were held with U.S. officials and Iran experts.”
The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) has also called for protests. On Saturday, June 14, the group called for a new phase of the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom) protests.
The group said, “We call on all forces, parties, and civil society organizations - with Iranian women at the forefront - to launch a new phase of the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ revolution. We declare our readiness to help initiate it.”
This refers to the Women, Life, Freedom protests that began in Iran in September 2022 after the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a Kurdish woman murdered by Iran’s police. PJAK is a left-leaning Kurdish group. It has been accused of being linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The PKK is viewed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US, and others. However, its offshoots in other countries are not usually viewed the same way by the US. Turkey, however, opposes it, and Ankara and Tehran are close partners.
“The people of Iran should not be forced to choose between war and accepting a dictatorial regime,” PJAK said, according to a report at Rudaw. PJAK also speaks about a “framework of legitimate self-defense.”
The Kurdish groups who oppose the regime do not all agree on the best way forward. They also have ties to Kurdish parties in other countries that do not get along. For instance, while PJAK may be linked to the PKK, this means it does not usually have good ties with the PDKI. The PDKI is closer to the KDP in Iraq, which is the ruling Kurdish party in Erbil. PAK also has historically had good ties with the KDP Peshmerga during the war on ISIS.
The Kurdish groups may also partner with other dissident groups in Iran, but they do not always get along with all the dissident groups. For instance, historically, many of the Persian dissident groups have opposed Kurdish rights or called Kurds “separatists” and even said racist things against Kurds.
Kurds and Azeris in Iran, two minority groups who live close to each other in western and northwest Iran, do not always get along, and the Iranian regime tries to play them against each other.
On the other hand, the minority Kurdish and Azeri groups often have had easier ties with the Ahwaz Arabs and Baloch, who are in other parts of Iran.