Five Kurdish Iranian opposition groups have formed a coalition against the regime in Iran. The groups held a press conference, and photos from the event were shared on social media on Sunday.
This demonstrates that the cooperation between these groups has increased. They had previously formed a dialogue center to discuss collaboration efforts against the Islamic Republic regime. The increased unified struggle comes amid US-Iran tensions.
The groups involved in the coalition include the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Komala Party of Kurdistan (led by Reza Kaabi), and the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan.
Komala has three branches, with two more of those remaining unlisted. This is not a surprise, as the other two parts of Komala also did not participate in the dialogue center event.
Five group leaders at a press conference could be detected in the images in the reports about the increased cooperation efforts between the movements.
Kurdish leadership
The leadership included several well-known Kurdish Iranian leaders who have been in charge for many years. The head of PDKI, Mustafa Hijri, represented his group. Hijri is a notorious figure in Kurdish politics.
Of the five groups, one was represented at the meeting by a woman who was there on behalf of PJAK. PJAK is a Left-leaning group that often splits leadership roles between men and women and has a large number of female fighters among its ranks.
The four Kurdish male leaders all wore traditional Kurdish garb, including sashes as belts. Hussein Yazdanpanah, the head of PAK, wore green Kurdish clothing, seemingly the olive color one might find in military uniforms. Yazdanpanah has been a well-known figure in Kurdish circles. He and his group fought ISIS alongside the Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq.
PAK held the front lines west of Kirkuk and in Bashiqa, overlooking the Nineveh Plains. Its fighters played a key role on their front lines, and also during the offensive to clear ISIS from the Nineveh Plains. They proved to be a disciplined fighting group back then, gaining valuable experience.
During that time in the war on ISIS, Yazdanpanah told The Jerusalem Post about the threat of the Iranian regime and also the threat of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
According to one site, Rohelat.Info, which is also on X/Twitter, the new grouping is called the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan.
The same site had said a week ago that “the Iranian Kurdish political landscape is witnessing a significant structural evolution as major parties seek to transition from a consultative ‘dialogue center’ into a robust, unified cooperation platform.”
“This initiative aims to broaden the scope of collaboration, ensuring the parties can exert maximum influence and maintain operational readiness for any potential political shifts in Iranian Kurdistan (Eastern Kurdistan),” Rohelat.Info said.
The new coalition continues to build on this process, working toward political unity among Kurdish forces to enhance coordination. It supports democracy, justice, and the right to self-determination.
After months of negotiations, it was decided that this new coalition should and could be formed. It is important to keep in mind that protests occurred in late December and early January in the Islamic Republic. Tens of thousands of people were killed by Tehran, including many Kurds.
The new statement from the parties said they had set aside past differences and will work to coordinate political and media activities. A new charter has also been distributed. They want recognition of Kurdish self-determination. They will work with other oppressed nations. They also say they support democracy and a commitment to full equality between men and women.
Furthermore, the groups say they support democracy for Iran as a whole and cooperation with other opposition forces in particular. They expect a unified organization to handle external and international relations.
They also appear to assume that areas will be liberated, and their charter includes articles detailing how to organize and administer “liberated areas.”