The rocket strikes that hit the offices of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan of Iran (KDPI) in Koya, Iraqi Kurdistan, on September 8, killed 15 people and injured several more. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility.

Mustafa Mauludi, secretary general of KDPI, said: “This tragedy requires that we work closely together to prevent more criminal acts from the Islamic Republic [Iran]. From this moment we will begin a new chapter of resistance against the regime in Tehran, for the sake of freedom of our nation.”

Iran has labelled the KDPI a terrorist organization because of their fight for independence, but labelling political opposition groups as terrorists is not an uncommon move by the Iranian Regime.

Mauludi said that the KDPI will begin talks with other Kurdish opposition parties to form a united front against the Iranian Regime, but notes that these plans were already in place before the attack.

The Iranian Regime claims that the Kurdish militant groups are being directed by the US to create instability in the region at a time when the Iranian economy is already in significant distress, largely due to Regime corruption.

However, the US State Department denied supporting Kurdish military activity against Iran.
One spokesperson said: “Our activities in Iraq stand in stark contrast with those of the Iranian regime, which is working on a daily basis, through violence and intimidation, to subvert the will of the Iraqi people and undermine Iraq’s sovereignty.”

They continued to say that the US role in Iraq is to counter the instability caused by the Iranian Regime.

Meanwhile, both the Iraqi and Kurdish governments condemned the strikes.
However, experts expect that tensions will continue to rise between the Iranian Regime and the Kurdish independence forces, especially given the rising pressures on the Iranian Regime from both inside and outside of the country.

Babak Taghvaee, a Malta-based Iranian analyst, advises that KDPI members and other Kurdish militants may take advantage of the chaos created by ongoing Iranian protests and attack the Iran-Iraq border, while Iranian security forces are suppressing unrest in other parts of the country.
One thing is certain, the Regime is facing immense pressure from all sides and soon the mullahs will fall. It’s only a matter of time.