Kurdistan

Spreading Kurdish militant attacks pressure Iran as it navigates fragile US diplomacy - analysis

The clashes appear to have taken place in several towns and cities in western Iran’s Kurdish region.

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.
 A man looks through a screen during a state funeral service in Enqelab Square, for military commanders and others killed in the recent war with Israel on June 28, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Israel and and Iran traded daily aerial attacks over a 12-day period until a ceasefire took effect on June 24.

Senior IRGC Navy officer dies in car crash as insurgencies escalate across western Iran

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) run across a street in Raqqa, Syria, July 3, 2017.

Is a new insurgency brewing? Kurdish rebels clash with IRGC in major border escalation - analysis

 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes part in a media briefing during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 10, 2025.

Marco Rubio in UAE warns Iran-backed militias in Iraq threaten regional stability


Iran struggles to assert control in Iraq amid strikes, militia attacks, tensions - analysis

The Kurdish leadership of the autonomous region is outraged, and Iran has appeared to walk back the attack. However, in other areas, it continues to try to assert itself.

AN IRANIAN ballistic missile on display in Tehran.

Iran-backed militias strike Kurdistan, killing Peshmerga in northern Iraq

Iran and its militias struck northern Iraq, killing six Peshmerga and wounding 19, as attacks on the Kurdistan Region escalate amid the wider Middle East conflict.

Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga at a mountain outpost. September 19, 2019.

Why did Iranian-backed militia in Iraq extend ‘ceasefire’?

Kataib Hezbollah has extended its ceasefire on US targets in Iraq for five days, warning foreign forces to leave while US Iran talks continue.

A flag of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah), flutters against the backdrop of people taking a swing ride at an amusement park during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Baghdad on March 21, 2026.

Kurds celebrate Nowruz amid Iran tensions, Ramadan overlap and regional unrest

While widely celebrated, the holiday holds particular cultural and political significance for Kurds throughout the Middle East and diaspora communities worldwide.

People gesture near a bonfire during Nowruz celebrations in Diyarbakir, southeastern Turkey, March 21, 2026.

In Iraq, Iran’s proxy militias open a third front in war against the US and Israel

BEHIND THE LINES: Statistics indicate that a determined Iranian and allied campaign is indeed underway in Iraq, making the country a third front in the current war.

FIRE RAGES outside the grounds of the US Embassy headquarters in Baghdad’s fortified ‘Green Zone’ earlier this week, following a drone and rocket attack according to security officials. Iraq was drawn into the Middle East war after having long been a proxy battleground between the US and Iran.

Iranian-backed militia in Iraq sends mixed messages about new attacks - analysis

Kataib Hezbollah said it might pause attacks on US targets in Iraq, but its strict and unlikely conditions suggest strikes could resume soon.

Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi gather in Basra, southern Iraq, to hold a memorial ceremony for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, carrying Khamenei posters and Hashd al-Shaabi and Kataib Hezbollah flags while chanting slogans in support of Iran on March 08, 2026.

Iraq turns to Kurdistan pipeline as Iran war chokes oil exports and economy - analysis

Baghdad has been seeking a deal to move oil through the Kurdistan Region to Turkey, but the Kurds want Iraq to lift the trade embargo it has imposed on the territory.

A drone view shows oil tankers loading crude oil at the Basra Oil Terminal in Iraqi territorial waters, off the coast of Basra, Iraq, August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Aty

Iranian Kurdish dilemma: Should they fight for a free Kurdistan or risk being used? - opinion

As tensions rise with Iran, Kurds face a familiar dilemma: seize opportunity or risk repeating a long history of abandonment by global powers.

Kurdish coalition forces.

US-Israel airstrikes in Iran kill five civilians, including two children, Hengaw reports

Human rights group says it has gathered information on 310 civilians and 2,090 Iranian members of the security forces killed in two weeks of war.

Cars drive down a highway as smoke billows after overnight airstrikes on oil depots on March 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Baghdad-Erbil oil feud threatens Iraq economy as Hormuz route remains cut off - analysis

Iraq has been cut off from trade via the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran has developed over the last two weeks.

A drone view shows oil tankers loading crude oil at the Basra Oil Terminal in Iraqi territorial waters, off the coast of Basra, Iraq, August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Aty