Kurds

Pahlavi’s challenge: Will he overcome Kurdish distrust to lead a unified Iran? - opinion

Iran’s opposition struggles to unite as minority rights remain unresolved.

|ByVEYSI DAG
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah and an Iranian opposition figure, speaks during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 13, 2026.
KURDISH GEN. Hussein Yazdanpanah, whom the writer first met almost a decade ago, has been fighting for Kurdish sovereignty for years.

The Kurds' moment: Why Iran’s Kurdish opposition thinks history is turning in its favor

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq have faced incredible hardships. They have persevered. Now they sense that their moment has arrived.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Travellers, mainly Iranian Kurds, arrive at the Haji Omran border crossing with Iran (Iranian flag in the background), in Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on February 1, 2026.

For Kurds in Iraq, Iran conflict has opportunities and pitfalls - analysis

In the past, some Kurds were able to seek refuge in Iran during Saddam Hussein’s genocidal poison gas attacks. However, the Iranian regime has been persecuting Kurds over recent decades.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah wave the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad

Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq threatens US, Kurdish groups

The militia's threat came as the US Embassy in Israel said it had authorized the departure of non-essential personnel on Friday.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Will Iran remain a unified country? - opinion

The phenomenon of empires disintegrating along ethnic lines has been known for many generations.

FEBRUARY 26, 2026ByMORDECHAI KEDAR
Protesters gather under a huge "Lion and Sun" pre-Iranian Revolution national flag, placed in front of Munich’s famous Church of Our Lady Liebfrauenkirche, during a demonstration organised by The Munich Circle calling for a free Iran, during the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in Munich, Germany.

Rojava failed, but Kurdish pragmatism may succeed where utopia did not - opinion

Rojava is shifting from revolutionary autonomy toward conditional integration.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByVEYSI DAG
Members of the Kurdish community and other protesters attend a demonstration against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Berlin, Germany, January 24, 2026.

Washington's tactical amnesia on Syria could fuel jihadist resurgence - analysis

Why Western policy may be paving the way for Islamist rule, ethnic cleansing, and regional instability

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByERIC R. MANDEL
Soldiers from Hay’at at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a prominent Sunni Islamist militant group and political organization formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, hold a demonstration in Damascus, Syria.

Islamic State terrorists kill four Syrian government security personnel in northern Syria

The assault on a checkpoint west of Raqqa city underlined an escalation in attacks by the jihadist group against President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government.

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByREUTERS
An ISIS member carries an Islamic State flag in Syria.

Five Kurdish groups form political coalition to challenge Iran’s regime

Five Kurdish Iranian opposition groups unite to form a powerful new coalition against Tehran’s regime, focusing on self-determination and democracy.

FEBRUARY 22, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Five Kurdish Iranian opposition groups have formed a coalition against the regime in Iran.

Iranian citizens' freedom may depend on cooperation with Israel, PJAK commander says

Peyman Vian, commander of Iranian-Kurdish PJAK, leader of the "most powerful" guerrilla force fighting the Islamic Regime, was interviewed by Israeli journalist Itai Anghel.

FEBRUARY 20, 2026ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF
Fighters from the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish opposition group, are pictured near the border with Iran in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, in the outskirts of Sulaimaniya, Iraq, June 21, 2025.

Iranian regime may target Kurdish opposition groups if war breaks out - analysis

Kurdish groups in Iran are moving to form a unified front and platform in opposition to the regime amid protests and US-Iran tensions.

FEBRUARY 19, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) members pose for the camera as they celebrate Nowruz at the Jezhnikan Village around Baharka, Iraq, on March 18, 2025.

From Rojava to the world: Kurdish-Jewish solidarity is a necessity - opinion

Memory, security, and a shifting Middle East reshape the meaning of Kurdish-Jewish solidarity as Rojava faces existential tests.

FEBRUARY 19, 2026ByAMED MARDIN
GENERAL HUSSEIN Yazdanpanah, commander-in-chief of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK).

US anti-ISIS mission in Syria is ending - analysis

Ever since the last ISIS enclave was cleared, the US has been backing the SDF to continue to crack down on any ISIS cells that pop up and also to detain the ISIS fighters.

FEBRUARY 19, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US military vehicles drive in Hasaka, Syria December 6, 2024; illustrative.

Besieged Kobane faces humanitarian disaster amid Syrian government, SDF deadlock

Reports say Kobane's ‘roads remain closed, while food and medical supplies are barred from entry’ to an area of 600,000 people.

FEBRUARY 18, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Syrian government internal security forces gather in the northern Syrian town of Sirrin as they wait to enter the city of Kobane on February 2, 2026.