Iran’s military has launched missile and drone strikes targeting bases of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq, according to statements carried by Iranian state media and confirmed reports from the ground.
Tehran said the attacks were aimed at Kurdish organisations that oppose the Iranian government and operate from the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq. In a statement quoted by Iranian state media, the Iranian military said it had attacked "Kurdish groups opposed to the revolution in Iraqi Kurdistan with three missiles".
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The strikes come as Iran intensifies military pressure on Kurdish opposition groups across the region, amid rising tensions linked to the broader conflict involving the United States and Israel. According to reporting from the BBC, one person was killed and several others were injured in separate strikes that targeted bases belonging to two Kurdish opposition organisations.
Missile and drone attacks hit Kurdish opposition bases
One of the attacks struck a base around 11:00 local time on Wednesday, when a ballistic missile hit the site, injuring four Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. One of the wounded later died from his injuries.
BBC journalists who visited the location reported extensive damage to buildings at the base, with debris and twisted metal scattered across the area and a large crater left by the missile impact.
Another attack targeted a base belonging to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI). According to reports, the base was struck by two drones on Tuesday, leaving one civilian injured.
A senior political figure within the KDPI told the BBC that Kurdish forces could soon become directly involved in fighting inside Iran, although no specific timeline was provided. The official declined to comment on reports that US President Donald Trump may have recently spoken with Kurdish opposition leaders.
A Kurdish fighter identified as Hassan, 25, told the BBC he was ready to join any future fight against the Iranian government. "We are closer than ever," he said while standing guard at the base with an assault rifle.
Ethnic tensions and regional implications
Analysts say the situation reflects deeper ethnic and political tensions inside Iran.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sir Simon Gass, a former British ambassador to Iran, described the country as “a patchwork of different ethnicities”. Iran has a Persian majority population but also large minority groups, including Kurds, Balochs, Arabs and Azeris.
"If the United States and Israel find a way to ignite some of those groups into armed insurrection against the regime, it will be another problem which the regime needs to manage. It will be extremely difficult," Gass said. He noted that Kurdish opposition fighters are generally lightly armed and would normally struggle to confront Iran’s military forces directly.
However, he suggested the situation could change if they received external military support.
Kurdish population across the region
An estimated 25 to 35 million Kurds live across a mountainous region that stretches across Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. Despite being the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, the Kurds have never achieved a permanent independent state.
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In Iran, Kurds make up roughly 10% of the country’s population of about 84 million. Most Iranian Kurds live in the north-western regions of the country and are predominantly Sunni Muslims, while the Iranian state is largely Shia Muslim.
Human rights group Amnesty International has previously stated that Iranian Kurds have long faced discrimination, saying their political, cultural and economic rights have often been restricted.
