Kurdistan

A life and death market: Starlink smuggling to Iran surges

“Holders will be dealt with firmly,” said Iranian Brigadier-General Hossein Rahimi, head of the Economic Security Police.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Starlink logo is seen on a smartphone in front of displayed Persian flag (Illustrative).
A member of the Syrian army walks with a weapon in the street as civilians flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

‘There will be hell in Syria’: Kurdish campaigner urges international intervention

Rebwar Hazhar, the chairman of Conservative Friends of Kurdistan, told The Jerusalem Post that Washington’s relationship with Damascus would only be temporary.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Kurdish internal security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

Follow the flow: Inside Iranian narco-trafficking in Iraqi Kurdistan - explainer

In recent years, the Sulaymaniyah governorate in eastern Iraqi Kurdistan has become a hub for Iranian narco trafficking.

|ByOBSIDIAN RESEARCH BUREAU
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters affiliated with PAK train on January 18, 2026 near Erbil, Iraq.

Iran escalates regional response to protests with strike on Kurdish forces - report

Video and photos from the site of the attack show the destruction of vehicles and other debris from the incident.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

The Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces is behind the drone attacks on Iraq - analysis

Iran has that Iranian dissident groups are present in the Kurdistan region.

JULY 5, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi boys hold Iranian flags in Baghdad, Iraq, June 24, 2025.

Drone attacks surge in Iraq amid rising US security tensions, Iranian military presence

Tensions rise as the US military faces heightened security concerns amid ongoing strikes in the Kurdistan Region.

JULY 4, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
An Iranian drone is displayed during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 18, 2025.

Iraqis increasingly concerned nobody protecting their skies amid Israel-Iran escalation - analysis

Iraq has complained to the UN Security Council over Israel allegedly violating Iraqi airspace to conduct airstrikes on Iran.

JUNE 17, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Supporters of the Iraqi Shia militia, Nujaba Movement, gather at Kirkuk's Ihtifalat area during a demonstration in support with Iran and condemn Israeli attacks, on June 16, 2025.

Kurdish parties demand uprising against regime’s oppression in Iran

Kurdish political groups in Iran are calling for an uprising against the Islamic Regime amid the Israel-Iran War.

JUNE 16, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
People step on the posters of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) take part in a protest, in Brussels, Belgium March 20, 2023.

Erbil on edge as suspected Iranian drone crashes in Iraq en route to Israel

This is only the latest incident which saw Kurds in Erbil subjected to Iranian attacks.

JUNE 16, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) walk back to their outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on Saturday, June 10, 2023. The KDPI, a leftist Kurdish group of Iran that has been running an armed struggle against the Islamic Republic's regime in Iran from exile for decades

Kurdistan Region’s $110B gas deals spark controversy with Baghdad – analysis

The energy deals come as Kurdistan is trying to bolster its security and autonomy in Iraq.

MAY 22, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A member of the Kurdish security forces looks at the wreckage of a vehicle belonging to Iraqi security forces in the outskirts of Kirkuk June 16, 2014.

Kurdistan Region looks to future with US ties - analysis

Kurdistan PM Barzani visits Washington to strengthen US ties and secure energy deals amid regional tensions.

MAY 21, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (not in picture) during the Munich Security conference in Munich , southern Germany February 14, 2020.

Historic Kurdish conference paves way for unity in Syria  - analysis

Kurdish parties in eastern Syria united to push for a decentralized, democratic Syria. They seek integration with Damascus after years of division and conflict.

APRIL 27, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syrian Kurds make the peace sign as they gather after Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms in Hasakah, Syria February 27, 2025.

Turkey’s power game is maintaining control at home and beyond - opinion

Turkey is classified as a “brown country” with both democratic and authoritarian features, but democracy, legality, and citizenship rights effectively disappear in southeastern Turkey.

APRIL 13, 2025ByLOQMAN RADPEY
A RALLY takes place to protest the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, last month. The political climate in Turkey is reaching a boiling point, the writer warns.

After 45 year, will the Kurdish-Turkish conflict in Iraq come to an end?

The jailed founder of a Kurdish nationalist group has called for the movement to lay down its arms, but Kurdish forces seem unwilling to as long as Turkish strikes continue.

MARCH 26, 2025ByHUDHAIFA EBRAHIM/THE MEDIA LINE
Syrian Kurds hold flags as they gather after Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms on Thursday, a move that could end its 40-year conflict with Ankara and have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region,