Iranian Kurdish parties in Iraq say bases have been hit amid war with Israel

Iranian Kurdish opposition parties based in Iraq say their military and political assets have come under heavy attack since the war between Iran and Israel began on 28 February. The groups say bases in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, as well as positions inside Iran, have been pushed onto the front lines of the conflict. The development has placed the parties in a delicate position as they face pressure from Tehran while discussion continues over whether outside powers could arm them.

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The groups say Iranian drones and missiles have repeatedly struck their facilities, although the row does not provide an independent damage assessment. One member of the political bureau of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan said the party had lost 13 fighters in Iranian attacks since the war started. He also said the party had sleeper cells and networks that took part in anti-government protests in Iran in December and January before those demonstrations were violently crushed by security forces.

The same figure said the party had not received military assistance from the United States, Europe or Arab states despite calls for support. The parties involved say they maintain military formations and organisational structures in Kurdish areas of Iran, as well as headquarters and bases in northern Iraq. Their presence in Iraq has long been tied to the political geography created after the 1990-1991 Gulf War, when a no-fly zone in northern Iraq helped create conditions for Kurdish self-rule under the Kurdistan Regional Government.

They were later further insulated after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which allowed several Iranian Kurdish groups to operate with greater freedom across the border region. The latest attacks matter because they show how the wider Iran-Israel war is spilling into border areas beyond the main battlefield. Iranian Kurdish groups have historically been viewed by Tehran as a security threat, and their cross-border networks make them vulnerable when regional tensions rise.

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The discussion about possible arming by the United States or Israel also raises the stakes for the Kurdish parties, which could be drawn more directly into the conflict even as they deny having received such support. The political landscape among Iranian Kurdish groups has also shifted in recent months. On 22 February 2026, five Kurdish groups based in Iraq and western Iran formed the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan in response to the suppression of protests.

That coalition reflects an effort to coordinate among parties with different political traditions, ranging from left-wing groups to nationalists. It also underlines how the Kurdish opposition has been trying to organise amid tighter Iranian security measures and the aftermath of the protests. Kurds make up about 10 percent of Iran's population, according to the supplied material, and Kurdish parties have long sought to use that demographic and political presence to build influence inside Iran.

Several leaders say they command armed formations and political structures on both sides of the border, which makes them relevant to any broader effort to destabilise or pressure the Iranian government. At the same time, their bases in Iraq remain exposed to Iranian retaliation, leaving them dependent on the security environment in the Kurdistan Region and the wider regional balance of power. What remains unclear is the full scale of the damage from the Iranian strikes and whether the reported attacks have caused further casualties beyond the 13 fighters named by one party official.

It is also not clear whether any outside military support will materialise, despite public discussion of that possibility. For now, the Kurdish parties say they are on high alert as the war continues and as cross-border pressure from Iran intensifies.