Iran’s military said it fired missiles at the headquarters of Iranian Kurdish groups located in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, particularly in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq near cities like Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. According to Iranian state media, three missiles were launched at sites housing Kurdish opposition organisations accused by Tehran of plotting attacks against Iran.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also reportedly carried out missile and drone strikes on several Kurdish opposition bases described by Iran as “anti-Iran separatist groups”, including Komala and other armed factions.
In addition to the missile barrage, drone strikes have hit arms depots and bases of Iranian Kurdish groups in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, with some engagements resulting in injuries among fighters.
Context and motives
Tehran has accused Iranian Kurdish opposition forces of preparing to cross the Iran–Iraq border and launch attacks inside Iranian territory, claiming these groups are backed by external powers. Iranian officials say the operations aimed to pre‑empt those threats.
The strikes come amid a broader escalation in the region linked to ongoing hostilities involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, with Kurdish forces increasingly mentioned in discussions about new fronts and alliances in the conflict.
Kurdish officials in Iraqi Kurdistan have publicly denied that their forces have crossed into Iranian territory, and authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government have condemned the use of Iraqi territory for external attacks.
Wider implications
These incidents are part of what analysts see as an expansion of the conflict beyond traditional frontlines — with Kurdish opposition bases in northern Iraq now becoming targets as regional tensions rise.
Baghdad has not formally participated in the strikes, raising concerns about Iraq’s sovereignty as its territory becomes the backdrop for cross‑border military actions.
The situation remains fluid, and details — including any casualty figures or official international responses — are continuing to develop.
