IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT: Five Kurdish Opposition Groups Form Unified Coalition Against Iran's Islamic Republic

In a landmark press conference held Sunday, the coalition announced a new political charter committing to Kurdish self-determination, full gender equality, and coordinated opposition against Tehran — amid ongoing nationwide protests and rising US-Iran tensions.

Five of Iran's major Kurdish opposition parties announced the formation of a formal political coalition on Sunday, marking the most significant step toward Kurdish unity in decades and signalling a new phase of organised resistance against the Islamic Republic in Tehran.

The groups held a joint press conference — photos from which circulated widely on social media — unveiling a new political charter and pledging to coordinate all political, media, and international activities under a single unified platform. The announcement comes as Iran continues to reel from the most severe wave of anti-government protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Five Parties

The coalition brings together five prominent Kurdish political organisations that have operated independently — and often in fragmented coordination — for decades:

Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), Iran's oldest Kurdish party, represented by its long-serving leader Mustafa Hijri, who seeks Kurdish national rights within a federal and democratic Iran.

Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), a left-leaning armed opposition movement known for its large number of female fighters and shared leadership roles between men and women. A woman represented PJAK at Sunday's press conference.

Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), led by Hussein Yazdanpanah, which advocates for an independent Kurdish state and was notably active fighting ISIS alongside Peshmerga forces in Iraq.

Komala Party of Kurdistan (led by Reza Kaabi), one of three branches of the broader Komala organisation. The other two Komala branches did not join the coalition.

Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, a smaller but long-established Kurdish political group.

What the Charter Commits To

The coalition's founding charter sets out a broad political programme with commitments to Kurdish self-determination, democracy for Iran as a whole, solidarity with other oppressed minorities and ethnic groups inside Iran, and full equality between men and women. Crucially, the groups pledged to establish a unified body to manage external and international relations — a move analysts say could significantly boost the Kurdish opposition's diplomatic visibility on the world stage.

The parties also declared their intention to cooperate with other Iranian opposition forces, signalling a willingness to build cross-ethnic alliances against the regime in Tehran.

"We have set aside past differences. When the time comes, we will be ready."

Months in the Making

Sunday's announcement is the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes diplomatic groundwork. As far back as September 2025, many of the same parties convened for a first-of-its-kind joint conference in support of Iran's "Women, Life, Freedom" movement.

On January 5, 2026, seven parties from an existing body known as the Dialogue Center for Inter-Party Cooperation in Iranian Kurdistan held a high-level meeting in response to the eruption of nationwide protests that had begun in Tehran's Grand Bazaar on December 28, 2025. At that meeting, the parties called for a general strike on January 8 and pledged to "intensify dialogue" and establish a roadmap for Kurdish political action.

By mid-January, multiple Kurdish parties had issued a joint open letter to international governments and human rights organisations urging the global community to "hear the voice of the people of Iran" and act to stop the regime's violent crackdown on protesters.

Analysts following the region had observed, just days before Sunday's announcement, that "the Iranian Kurdish political landscape is witnessing a significant structural evolution" — a shift from a consultative dialogue forum into a full-scale unified cooperation platform designed to prepare Kurdish forces for any political shifts that might occur inside Iran.

A Backdrop of Protests and Crackdown

The coalition announcement takes place against one of the most turbulent periods in the Islamic Republic's history. Protests that began over economic grievances — soaring inflation, high unemployment, and acute poverty, particularly in Kurdish-majority western provinces — rapidly spread across Iran and evolved into broader demands for political freedom and an end to clerical rule.

Human rights groups report that Kurdish-majority regions have borne a disproportionate share of the regime's violent response. Of thousands of deaths documented by monitors since the protests began, a significant proportion have been Kurdish. In one accounting of 27 confirmed civilian deaths at a particular juncture, 17 were Kurds.

Iran has repeatedly accused Kurdish groups based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq of inciting unrest inside Iran and has conducted military operations against them in the past. Earlier this week, a vehicle exploded on a road between Sulaymaniyah and Dukan, killing two members of a Komala offshoot. While initial reports on social media suggested an Iranian drone strike, authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq subsequently concluded it was a car accident.

The Wider Strategic Dimension

The coalition also coincides with a notable increase in Kurdish groups' international diplomatic outreach. In an interview published this week, Peyman Vian — the commander of PJAK and one of Tehran's most wanted figures — told Israeli journalist Itai Anghel that a free Iran may ultimately depend on cooperation between Iranians and Israel, and that when conditions are right, PJAK fighters intend to return to Iran "to continue our struggle."

PAK, another coalition member, separately claimed responsibility for an attack on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) positions in Kermanshah Province during the height of the January protests.

The formation of the coalition is being watched closely by Western governments, which have imposed fresh sanctions on Iran in response to the crackdown, and by analysts who see the Kurdish opposition's degree of unity as one of the key variables determining the trajectory of Iran's political crisis.

Photo: Manus AI

Reporting contributed by sources in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. Additional reporting by The Jerusalem Post, Rudaw, and Iran International.