Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) leader Hussein Yazdanpana told The Jerusalem Post that what is unfolding in Iran is not merely an economic crisis, but the manifestation of a far deeper political one.
“What we are seeing in Iran is not simply an economic crisis. These are primarily symptoms of a deep political crisis,” he said. “The state, the political system, and the government are in crisis.”
Yazdanpana said that Iran is suffering from a fundamental mismatch between the identity of the state and that of its population, drawing parallels to the crises that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and plunged Yugoslavia into war and genocide.
Yazdanpana is also the commander-in-chief of the Kurdistan National Army, a Kurdish nationalist armed group with roots in Iran’s Kurdish Region, known to Kurds as Rojhelat, or Eastern Kurdistan.
Since the latest wave of unrest erupted, PAK has called for an emergency meeting of Rojhelat’s political parties, urging immediate and unified action around a joint Kurdish strategy to defend the region. Rojhelat is home to more than 14 million Kurds and is Iran’s most heavily militarized region.
Iran protest's wave hits day 10
In recent days, Iran’s security forces have intensified their crackdown on protesters, deploying riot squads and opening fire on demonstrators. At least 30 people have been killed, with most of the victims reported in Iran’s Kurdish areas.
“Iran’s crisis is over 100 years old,” Yazdanpana said. “This crisis is the result of the fact that the state is not compatible with the population. The identity, language, sovereignty of the state, and even its religion belong to one nation – the Persians – who have imposed their identity on other non-Persian ethnic nations within the state.”
More than 45% of Iran’s population is non-Persian, with Kurds and Azeris constituting the largest ethnic groups. According to Yazdanpana, an undemocratic and totalitarian political system has been imposed to enforce Persian identity on non-Persian nations such as Kurds, Azeris, Baluchis, and Sunni Arabs in the Ahwaz region.
“The Persians are sovereign. The rest are subjugated and oppressed under a policy of systematic assimilation,” he noted.
Yazdanpana said the Islamic Republic and its clerical leadership lack political legitimacy and public trust. “It is an ineffective and corrupt government that enforces its control through oppression, mass killing, and starvation.”
He added that economic deprivation has affected most Iranians. “The people have lost hope of a better tomorrow. This fraudulent government has spent billions on its nuclear program and on funding a variety of terrorist groups.”
“Today, wherever a terrorist act occurs in the world, under whatever name and under whatever mask, its source goes back to Tehran. October 7, and the massacre of Jews in Australia, all have Iranian government DNA on them,” Yazdanpana said.
“Most people in Iran, including Persians, are left with no freedom, no security, and no bread. That’s why society is like a barrel of gunpowder, ready to explode with a single spark,” he continued.
“In September 2022, the murder of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Jina Amini, also known as Mahsa Amini, sparked a nationwide uprising. This time, it is the collapse of the Iranian currency and rising inflation.”
Asked whether the current uprising could have a different outcome, Yazdanpana pointed to Iran’s history of suppressed revolts. Major protests erupted in 2009, 2017, 2019, and during the 2022 Jina Amini uprising (otherwise known as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement).
In each case, the regime deployed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia, which brutally killed thousands of unarmed civilians, including women and children, he said.
Asked whether today’s protests would meet the same fate, Yazdanpana replied: “Let me tell you frankly. Until now, the wrong policies of Europe and the United States have played a role in the continuation of the Islamic Republic.”
“For the past half-century, Europe has been willing to sacrifice freedom, democracy, and human rights in Iran for its own commercial interests,” he said. “The United States, especially during the Obama administration, turned its back on the people and allowed Tehran to destabilize the Middle East and control Arab countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.”
“These policies encouraged Hamas to carry out the atrocities of October 7. They led Iran to attack the Kurdistan Region in Iraq and allowed ISIS to gain ground in Syria and Iraq,” Yazdanpana continued.
“Tens of thousands of Kurdish fighters, including PAK fighters, joined American forces to deter and defeat ISIS. Despite this, most European governments remain too reluctant or afraid to take a harsher stand against Iran.”
Despite European hesitation, Yazdanpana said he believes the collapse of the clerical regime is approaching.
“Two important actors have entered the equation with clear policies and positions: Israel and the US,” he said. “The Israeli leadership at various levels has openly expressed its support for the people’s uprising to overthrow the Islamic Republic.”
“Unlike the sleepy [former US president Joe] Biden and ‘Ayatollah [former US president Barack] Obama,’ US President [Donald] Trump supports the people and their rights and does not pay taxes to Tehran,” he added.
"There is little doubt that Iran is now in a weaker position than before the October 7 massacre. The regime has lost its most powerful proxy, Hezbollah, along with its foothold in Syria and Lebanon, and Israel’s 12-day war severely degraded Iran’s military capabilities.
At the same time, Iran’s opposition remains fragmented, and protesters face a decisive moment. For the movement to succeed, now, more than ever, unity is needed.
Asked whether Kurdish leaders would consider working with exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for the sake of all Iranians, Yazdanpana said that although the opposition is scattered, it is united by a common adversary.
“All the people of Iran, Persians and ethnic minorities alike, face the same enemy: the regime in Tehran,” he said. “However, each has a different goal.”
“We have no personal problems with Pahlavi,” Yazdanpana added. “The problem is that he follows in the footsteps of his grandfather and father and does not recognize non-Persian nations or their right to self-determination.”
“He has lived on another continent for 48 years and has played no role in the people’s struggle,” he continued. “We are ready to cooperate with anyone who believes in Iran’s multiethnicity and recognizes the Kurdish national right to self-determination.”
“No government in Iran can create political stability without believing in a multi-identity and multi-sovereignty state. Whoever believes in these principles, we will cooperate with,” Yazdanpana said.
Kurds are widely regarded as the best-organized segment of the Iranian opposition, both politically and militarily. Kurdish groups, including PAK, have waged an armed struggle against the Iranian regime for more than four decades.
Whether Pahlavi and his supporters will reach out to Kurdish leaders to pursue a joint struggle for a new and democratic Iran remains to be seen.
Suzan Quitaz is a Kurdish-Swedish journalist and researcher specializing in Middle Eastern affairs. She previously worked as an Israel-based journalist and podcast presenter for the Arabic and English series Exposing the Lies – The Voice of Truth from the Middle East at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, and has served as a field producer and journalist for several Qatari media outlets.