Iranian Kurdish factions form alliance aiming to topple Tehran government

A Kurdish peshmerga fighter affiliated with the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP-Iran) stands guard on a building following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), 100Km east of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on October 1, 2022. [Photo by SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images]

Several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have announced the formation of a new political alliance aimed at overthrowing Iran’s ruling system and advancing Kurdish self-determination.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, five organisations declared the establishment of the Alliance of Political Forces in Iranian Kurdistan, saying the move seeks to strengthen Kurdish political influence amid what they described as a deep legitimacy crisis facing the Islamic Republic.

The alliance includes the Kurdistan Freedom Party, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, and the Kurdistan Free Life Party, among other factions operating from bases in northern Iraq.

The groups said their primary objectives are “the struggle to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran” and securing the Kurdish people’s right to self-determination. They also voiced support for anti-government protests inside Iran and called for broader coordination between political parties and civil society movements across the country.

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Iranian Kurdish factions have long maintained camps in Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region bordering Iran. These sites have repeatedly been targeted by cross-border Iranian strikes, with Tehran accusing the groups of fomenting unrest and carrying out attacks inside Iranian territory — allegations the organisations dispute.

The announcement comes amid continuing political and economic tensions in Iran following nationwide protests that intensified after the 2022 death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, whose detention by morality police sparked widespread demonstrations.

Tehran designates the Kurdish factions as terrorist organisations, while the groups say they have increasingly shifted towards political mobilisation after decades of armed confrontation.

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