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Western Iran clashes (2026–present)

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Western Iran clashes (2026–present)
Part of the 2026 Kurdish–Iranian crisis during the wider Kurdish and PJAK insurgecy in Iran

Iranian border guard outpost along the Iran–Iraq (Kurdistan Region) border, June 2026.
Date7 June 2026 – present (4 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Iran (Iranian Kurdistan) Kurdistan Region in Iraq
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan
Units involved

Beginning in early June 2026,[1] clashes erupted between the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the highlands of western Iran (Iranian Kurdistan), particularly Marivan and regions south of Mahabad. In late June and early July 2026, clashes intensified and spread to the Iran–Iraq border, the Sardasht–Baneh–Saqqez triangle,[2] urban areas, and began to involve other Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, including the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI).

Background

During the Iranian–Kurdish conflict, the Iranian Kurdish opposition's last major ground confrontation with Iran occurred during the 2016–2023 clashes. As a result of the 2026 Iran war, the IRGC targeted Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) through aerial attacks, reportedly in anticipation of a potential U.S.-backed Kurdish offensive.[3][4] However, Kurdish groups remained relatively passive, citing the U.S.' lack of long-term war objectives, while reports of alleged leaks of offensive plans and arming, as well as pressure from Turkey, effectively closed the window of opportunity.[4] Meanwhile, Iran reinforced its border regions along the KRI, pressured Iraq to expel Kurdish groups,[5] and reactivated elements of the Muslim Peshmerga.[6][7]

Although hostilities between Iran, the U.S., and Israel had largely ceased following the Islamabad Memorandum in mid-June,[8] Iranian strikes on Kurdish opposition groups in the KRI continued,[9] and fighting soon erupted between the IRGC and Kurdish armed groups. The clashes included sustained ground fighting inside Iranian Kurdistan.[10] Hengaw reported that the clashes spread to multiple cities in Iranian Kurdistan, while Fox News indicated that the clashes could lead to the renewing of a larger Kurdish insurgency.[11][12]

PJAK stated that the renewed clashes were a consequence of the memorandum between the United States and Iran, and that Iran escalated the situation thereafter.[13][14] The killing of two prominent Yarsani-Kurdish cultural activists also sparked outrage in the region, prompting a PJAK spokesperson to state that "when the regime speaks to the Kurdish people through executions, assassinations, and massacres, the Kurds will answer with legitimate self-defense."[15]

Timeline

June

Clashes reportedly began on 7 June when pro-PKK ANF News claimed that the armed wing of PJAK, the Eastern Kurdistan Units (YRK), was targeted by artillery fire of the IRGC and repelled an attack in Marivan.[16] According to ANF News, IRGC bombardments, including drone strikes, on areas near Marivan and Baneh continued on 16 June and 25 June.[17][18] On 20 June, Iran's Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) confirmed the clashes and stated that it was closely monitoring militant activity in the provinces of Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, and Kermanshah, and that it had adopted an "active deterrence" doctrine.[19] On 26 June, an attack on the Saqqez–Baneh road at the entrance to Baneh, which may have been related to the clashes, killed between two and three Iranian police officers and injured between two and five others, according to differing reports.[15][19][20] The Sardasht–Baneh–Saqqez triangle experienced increasing Iranian military deployments and shelling of the surrounding mountain areas.[2] On 29 June, the YRK described ongoing clashes between its forces and the IRGC as "military operations" launched by the latter, which it said had escalated in the area of Mahabad, particularly the village of Gagesh.[21] The Amargi also described the clashes as a military operation backed by significant firepower.[15] At the end of June, Hengaw reported that the clashes had resulted in the deaths of four YRK fighters and three IRGC members, as well as the injury of four Iranian security personnel and one civilian.[22] The deaths of the four YRK fighters were also confirmed by the group itself,[13] while PJAK-aligned media claimed that 16 IRGC members were killed, three Iranian drones were destroyed, and an IRGC depot was struck by a first-person-view (FPV) drone.[2] Iranian authorities acknowledged at least one death among its border guards.[23]

On 29 June, the newly formed Kurdish militant group Sun of Hope (Xori Hiwa) carried out an attack on the residence of a local Kurdish Basij member in Paveh.[24] The attack reportedly resulted in the deaths of two Basij members and injury of two more.[24][25] Following the attack, Sun of Hope announced its formation and stated that its main goals were to "promote political awareness, strengthen Kurdish national identity, and confront the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran."[26] The group had also reported clashes between its fighters and the IRGC in Piranshahr.[22] An attack in Paveh on the same day was also claimed by the PJAK-linked Kurdistan Patriotic Youth.[27]

July

On 1 July and in the early hours of 2 July, heavy clashes erupted between PDKI Peshmerga and the IRGC in the village of Qazqapan, approximately 3 kilometres west of Piranshahr, near the Iraqi border. The PDKI confirmed five casualties among its forces, while Iranian state-linked media claimed between six and eleven killed among the group.[28][29] On the same day, Iraq reported a drone strike on an Iranian Kurdish militant base east of Erbil, Kurdistan Region.[30]

References

  1. Seif Qazi, Donya. "Five KDPI members killed in overnight clashes with Iranian forces in Rojhelat". The New Region. Retrieved 2026-07-02. Since early June, clashes have erupted between opposition groups and the Islamic republic's forces in western Iran's Kurdish majority regions (Rojhelat), leading to casualties on both sides on several occasions.
  2. "Kurdish–IRGC Clashes in Northwest Iran Expose a Growing Internal…". Hamer Intelligence Services. 2026-06-29. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  3. Frantzman, Seth J. (2 March 2026). "Kurdish Iranian opposition groups say Iran targeted them in northern Iraq, claim operations in Iran". Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Archived from the original on 3 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "Has the window for action by Iranian Kurdish opposition forces truly passed?". Amwaj.media. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  5. "Kurdish PJAK rebels clash with IRGC in major border escalation". The Jerusalem Post. 2026-06-30. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  6. Hussein, Dalshad (2026-02-24). "Between Iraq and Iran… A Border Bracing for Fire". Alhurra. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  7. ""The Muslim Peshmerga" … How Iran Seeks to Contain Its Kurds". Alhurra. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  8. Staff, Al Jazeera. "Iran, US presidents sign deal to extend ceasefire, reopen Strait of Hormuz". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  9. "Could Iranian Kurdish blind spot unravel tenuous Iran-US truce?". Amwaj.media. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  10. "3 IRGC members killed in twin attacks as Iran intensifies Kurdish crackdown". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  11. "Hengaw report on deadly armed clashes in multiple cities". Hengaw. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  12. Lachter, Efrat (2026-06-30). "Wave of attacks on Iran's IRGC raises questions about renewed Kurdish insurgency". Fox News. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  13. "YRK: Four of our fighters were martyred during Iraqi military operation in Mahabad". ANF News. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  14. "PJAK Confirms Four Fighters Killed by IRGC". iranwire.com. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  15. Goli, Ammar (2026-06-30). "New clashes between IRGC and PJAK as Tehran increases pressure on Kurdish parties". The Amargi. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  16. "YRK: Our forces responded to an Iranian attack in Marivan". ANF News. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  17. "YRK reports Iranian bombardment in Marivan countryside". ANF News. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  18. "YRK vows to retaliate if attacks by Iran continue". ANF News. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  19. Grace, Adam (2026-06-30). "Iran Update Special Report, June 30, 2026". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  20. "KHRN: At least 10 members of PDKI, PJAK lose their lives in IRGC clashes". Kurdistan Human Rights Network. 2026-07-02. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  21. "YRK reports clash amid ongoing Iranian military operation in Mahabad". ANF News. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  22. "Hengaw report on deadly armed clashes in multiple cities". Hengaw. 30 June 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  23. "HANA Report: Escalating Armed Clashes Across Kurdistan Raise Serious Civilian Protection Concerns | Hana Human Rights Organization". 2026-07-01. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  24. "Two Kurdish Basij members killed by gunmen in western Iran". Rudaw. 2026-06-30. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  25. "Deadly attacks shake northwest Iran as IRGC reports new clashes". www.iranintl.com. 2026-06-30. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  26. "3 IRGC members killed in twin attacks as Iran intensifies Kurdish crackdown". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  27. "PJAK Spokesperson on clashes in Rojhilat: Self-defense is entirely legitimate and lawful". ANF News. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  28. "Heavy Clashes Erupt Between IRGC and Kurdish Opposition Groups Near Iran-Iraq Border". iranwire.com. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  29. "Five KDPI Peshmerga killed in IRGC ambush in western Iran". Rudaw. 2026-07-02. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  30. "Heavy Clashes Erupt Between IRGC and Kurdish Opposition Groups Near Iran-Iraq Border". iranwire.com. Retrieved 2026-07-03.