Yara Saad* moved to Erbil full of hope for her future and plans to support her family in Suwayda, the Druze-majority province in southern Syria, but all her dreams have been ripped to shreds as violent clashes between armed Druze groups and Bedouin tribes tear through her hometown. Her father was injured and she fears he is dead. She has spent every waking hour of the past week glued to the news from home.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday labeled Washington’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a “spectacular military success,” warning of a “tragedy” for Tehran if it does not agree to peace.
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that the US had carried out airstrikes targeting Iran’s three primary nuclear sites, hailing the operation as a “historic moment” and urging Tehran to “agree to end this war.”
As the Israel-Iran conflict further escalates with global headlines centered on Tehran, the western Kurdish region (Rojhelat) has seen intense bombardment, forcing citizens to flee to the villages with Israeli strikes pounding military sites, locals told Rudaw English.
Nestled in the mountains of Duhok province’s Shekhan district, Lalish Temple, the holiest site in the Yazidi faith, hosted Chwarshama Sur (Red Wednesday) on Tuesday evening. The ancient celebration, considered the oldest and most sacred Yazidi tradition, marks the beginning of creation and the renewal of life.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday criticized European countries for failing to enforce the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his visit to Hungary.
The Iranian army’s chief of staff on Sunday downplayed the possibility of direct talks with the United States due to a lack of trust and stressed that Tehran will decisively respond to threats despite not being an “initiator of war.”
Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday expressed Tehran’s willingness to pursue nuclear talks with the United States in exchange for the lifting of what he called oppressive sanctions against his country.
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday that it is prepared for war but will not start one, speaking just days after United States President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iranian interests if Tehran does not agree to Washington’s demands on in its nuclear program.
Iran on Friday condemned the extension of a United Nations investigation into human rights violations in the Islamic republic.
Russia on Thursday rejected threats of military action against Iran as unacceptable, warning of their severe consequences. The remarks come days after US President Donald Trump warned that “there will be bombing” against Iran if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program.
A Kurd from Mahabad in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for allegedly collaborating with the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). Notably, family members of the convicted individual were previously targeted by Iranian authorities, a watchdog reported on Thursday.
A top aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned on Monday that his country will have “no choice” but to develop nuclear weapons if it comes under “any attack” by the United States or Israel, signalling a potential shift under Khamenei who has long opposed atomic weapons on a religious basis.
Iranian intelligence forces restricted public and family access to the tomb of renowned Kurdish leader Qazi Muhammad in western Iran’s Kurdish city of Mahabad on the anniversary of his hanging, family sources told Rudaw English on Sunday.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday warned of a strong response if the Islamic republic is attacked, after a threat from US President Donald Trump.
United States President Donald Trump on Saturday warned that “there will be bombing” against Iranian interests if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with Washington.
An Iranian court has upheld the death sentence of an alleged member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) convicted of armed rebellion, a human rights watchdog said on Saturday.
United States President Donald Trump on Friday said his preference is to negotiate with Tehran, but cautioned that “bad things” would happen if no agreement is made after Iran responded to his overture to restart nuclear talks.
Iran replied to United States President Donald Trump’s letter through Oman, instead of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) channel that Trump used because of its ties with Israel, a parliamentarian said on Friday.
Kurdish and Azeri human rights groups on Tuesday condemned the tensions that flared between ethnic groups in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province after anti-Kurdish slogans were chanted during a religious gathering.
Iran has arrested at least 41 Kurdish citizens, including six minors, in connection with Newroz celebrations and has reportedly threatened thousands more in an effort to prevent the Kurdish New Year festivities in the country’s western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat), a human rights watchdog reported Monday.
Iranian authorities have placed the blame on a single individual for inciting ethnic tensions after anti-Kurdish slogans were chanted at an Alawite religious gathering in West Azerbaijan’s city of Urmia on Saturday. The incident followed massive Newroz, Kurdish New Year celebrations in Urmia, which saw the participation of some 150,000 Kurds.
Iran on Sunday said it waited for compensation from the United States following its 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal and that Tehran’s nuclear commitments remain reversible under favorable circumstances.
Thousands of Kurds gathered in Mahabad’s Koza Kareza district on Monday, dressed in traditional Kurdish attire, to celebrate the Kurdish New Year, Newroz. While the holiday is still three days away, festivities in Iran's western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat) began weeks prior.
Iran’s parliament speaker said late Monday that the country is laying the necessary groundwork and regulations to implement the new controversial hijab bill, proposed in the wake of massive countrywide protests in 2022.
Iran said on Sunday that it will respond to US President Donald Trump’s letter regarding the resumption of nuclear negotiations “after the review process is completed.”
The chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed on Sunday that Tehran would respond “more forcefully” to any threat. Hossein Salami also denied Iran’s involvement in shaping Yemen’s national policies, a day after the United States launched strikes on Houthi targets in the Arab state.
At least five Kurds were arrested by Iranian security forces following Newroz celebrations in Iran’s western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat), a human rights watchdog reported on Sunday.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have deployed to Kurdish areas, setting up temporary checkpoints to interrogate people in a bid to stifle celebrations of Newroz (the new year), a watchdog said on Friday. There were reports of clashes between the crowds and security forces.
The deputy foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, and China met in Beijing to discuss Iran’s nuclear program after new United States sanctions, state media reported on Friday.
Iran’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump’s letter to Iran seeking nuclear negotiations will be delivered through an Arab country.
Iranian intelligence forces arrested four women from Kurdistan province following their attendance at an International Women's Day event in Sanandaj days prior, a human rights watchdog reported on Monday.
Traditional Kurdish clothing shops in Iran’s western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat) have noticed a growing demand for Kurdish attire among young people over the past two years.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday condemned Washington’s decision to rescind a waiver permitting Iraq to purchase gas from sanction-hit Iran, saying it seeks to deprive Iraq of much-needed electricity as summer approaches.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday condemned the United States for rescinding a waiver allowing neighboring Iraq to import gas from Iran.
Tehran will not wait for a letter from Washington to negotiate and will continue to strengthen its relations with global countries to leave the US with “no choice” but to lift sanctions, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said that Iran will not accept demands from a “bully” who only seeks dominance rather than solving problems.
Iran’s intelligence service has summoned dozens of people and instructed them not to wear traditional Kurdish clothing during Newroz celebrations later this month, a watchdog said on Friday.
United States President Donald Trump said he sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday in a bid to open nuclear negotiations.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday condemned recent remarks by Turkey’s top diplomat on the country’s militia influence in the region as “unrealistic analyses,” warning that such remarks could derange bilateral relations.
Javad Zarif, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs, announced on Monday that he is stepping down from his position after advice from Iran’s judiciary head.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Ankara is open to compromise and dialogue, but threatened to continue military operations “if the promises given are not kept,” after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced a unilateral ceasefire following a call from their jailed leader to disarm and disband.
Iran's parliament will meet on Sunday to discuss the possible dismissal of the minister of finance, with the president in attendance to defend his cabinet as economic challenges mount, state media reported on Saturday.
A deadly avalanche hit Iran’s western Kurdistan province on Friday. At least two people are confirmed dead and several others are missing.
Iran welcomes Abdullah Ocalan’s call for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to lay down arms, Tehran’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
The United States Department of the Treasury on Monday imposed new sanctions on over 30 individuals and vessels for their “involvement” in importing Iranian petroleum-related products.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday condemned countries advancing their nuclear weapons programs and increasing their stockpiles of nuclear warheads as part of their security strategies.
Kurdish political prisoner Anwar Chaleshi passed away on Wednesday after battling cancer in an Iranian prison in West Azerbaijan province, following the denial of proper medical care by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Oslo-based human rights watchdog reported.
Iran announced on Wednesday that it had dismantled intelligence networks, allegedly linked to the United States and Israel in the country’s northern Mazandaran province.
Iran's Supreme Court has formally charged two British citizens, detained since January, with espionage, accusing them of entering the country under the pretext of tourism to gather information, read a statement by the Iranian judiciary’s media office on Tuesday.
A group of 229 lawyers from Iran are petitioning against the impending death sentences of three “political prisoners,” two of whom are Kurdish and one Turk, urging they get a fair retrial, read a statement by the lawyers received by the Rudaw on Monday.
Tehran University students have been protesting for a third consecutive day following the tragic killing of their colleague. Students are accusing Iranian authorities of failing to protect campus safety and are demanding that university administrators’ resign and justice be served.
Iran has reportedly executed some 909 prisoners in 2024, with Kurds making up 20 percent of the total, a human rights watchdog reported late Tuesday.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has “pardoned” two journalists jailed for unveiling the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, whose killing in 2022 sparked the worst nationwide protests Iran had seen in decades.
Iran’s top diplomat on Monday urged the United Nations to stand against an under-fire plan by US President Donald Trump to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip during a call with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Prisoners from Iran’s western Kurdish regions (Rojhelat) in Sulaimani have been on a hunger strike for 9 days, demanding repatriation to Iran for trial.
Iran on Sunday firmly rejected the United States’ restoration of the “maximum pressure” policy which aims to restrict Tehran’s oil exports.
Well-known Iranian rapper and outspoken critic of the authorities Toomaj Salehi said on Saturday that he has been summoned to court after releasing a new music track.
Iran’s supreme leader on Friday said it is “unwise” to negotiate with the United States, days after US President Donald Trump said he would be open to making a new nuclear deal with Tehran.
Iran’s Supreme Court has rejected Pakhshan Azizi’s request for a retrial, placing the Kurdish humanitarian worker at imminent risk of execution, her lawyer said on Thursday.
United States President Donald Trump imposed the 'maximum pressure' policy on Iran in response to its efforts to enrich its nuclear capabilities and prevent Tehran from acquiring an atomic weapon, the White House said on Tuesday.
The parliamentary speakers of Iraq and Iran met in Tehran on Monday to discuss legislative cooperation on regional border security and the strengthening of economic and political ties between the two countries, Iranian state media reported.
The online Zagros Film Festival kicked off its second edition earlier this week, showing movies, which promote Kurdish culture and heritage, to a global audience, said the organizer.
Iran executed 87 prisoners in January, a 17% increase compared to the number of death sentences carried out in the same month last year, a human rights monitor stated on Saturday.
Turkey’s interior ministry on Wednesday dismissed the pro-Kurdish co-mayor of Siirt province after she was sentenced to over six years in prison on terror-related charges and appointed a government-affiliated trustee.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister on Monday responded to criticism of Vice President Javad Zarif over alleged meetings with foreign parties in Davos and said that he had no agenda for negotiations, state media reported.
Iran on Sunday said that the weapon used in the assassination of two prominent judges in Tehran last week was of Turkish origin, adding that the assailant might have been trained.
Iran’s parliament speaker and lawmakers on Sunday criticized Vice President Javad Zarif over remarks he made in Davos regarding the country’s hijab law, stating that elected officials must not “jeopardize national interests.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Saturday accused the European Parliament of "meddling in judicial processes" after it passed a resolution condemning the death penalties handed down to two Kurdish women.
The father of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, whose death ignited the Woman Life Freedom revolution in Iran, was summoned to a court after expressing solidarity with a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death, he said on Friday.
Iranian Vice President Javad Zarif has faced criticism at home after he told an American journalist in Switzerland that enforcing a new hijab law was not part of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s agenda.
Iranian security forces have sent threatening messages to residents in the western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat) warning them against participating in the general strike called for by Kurdish opposition groups, a human rights watchdog reported on Wednesday.
Syria is expected to join the Iranian-led “resistance front” soon, a member of the Expediency Council said on Wednesday, despite the ousting of key Tehran ally Bashar al-Assad.
Iranian Kurdish opposition groups called for a general strike in the western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat) on Wednesday to condemn the Islamic republic's death sentences for political prisoners Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi.
Iran’s communications minister on Sunday said that no social media platform will be exempt from unbans, a month after bans were lifted from major platforms WhatsApp and Google Play.
At least 57 kolbars were killed by Iranian security forces in the border areas and 282 were injured in 2024, an increase from the previous year’s tally, according to a human rights watchdog’s annual report.
Two prominent judges were killed in an armed attack at Tehran's Supreme Court on Saturday, with reports suggesting a third judge was targeted, Iranian state media reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday for the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty.
An Iranian media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday accused Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish woman sentenced to death, of being a member of "terrorist groups.”
Iran on Monday said it held “constructive” talks with European powers in Geneva on nuclear negotiations and the lifting of sanctions.
The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday appointed a special envoy for Syria despite the collapse of Tehran’s ally Bashar al-Assad.
Iran on Saturday condemned France for permitting the dissident Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO/MEK) to hold an anti-Tehran conference in Paris.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said that the US “will not give up” on attempting to weaken Tehran and gain influence over the country.
Iran on Wednesday condemned as “baseless” remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron calling Tehran the main strategic and security challenge in the region.
Iran is prioritizing efforts to release the country’s frozen assets through diplomatic measures with large sums remaining blocked, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday.
Nearly 200 village entrance signs in the Marivan district of Kurdistan province have been updated to include Kurdish, replacing the previous practice of displaying them exclusively in Persian. This initiative was carried out under the management of local academies and institutions, locals said on Monday.
A considerable portion of Iran's population is struggling to meet basic life necessities and is grappling with significant poverty rates, semi-official media reported on Sunday, as Tehran contends with both internal and external challenges.
Tehran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the Italian ambassador to complain about an Iranian citizen detained in Italy at the request of the United States.
Iran began the new year by executing 10 people in a prison north of Tehran, a human rights watchdog reported on Friday.
Iran plans to build solar and wind power plants as it faces gas and electricity shortages, state media reported on Friday.
Tehran is scheduled to hold a new round of nuclear talks with three European countries within the next two weeks, an Iranian official announced on Wednesday.
The foreign “invaders” that seized Syrian land in the absence of “stability factors” will be forced to leave Syria soon as the country belongs to its people, Iran’s supreme leader said.
US imposes new sanctions on Iran and Russia for interference in the country’s latest presidential elections aiming to “stoke sociopolitical tensions,” the Department of Treasury announced on Tuesday.
An Iranian court on Sunday sentenced Mojahed Kourkour from the 2022 nationwide protests to death for the second time for allegedly killing a 9-year-old boy during the protests, allegations denied by the boy’s mother, a human rights watchdog reported.
Air pollution across several Iranian cities including the capital Tehran has spiked over the past two weeks and has sent more people to hospital, state media reported on Sunday.
Four kolbars suffering from hypothermia were rescued in Iran’s western Kurdistan province after emergency teams were alerted, state media reported on Saturday.
Mansour Yaghouti, the renowned Kurdish writer and critic from Iran’s Kermanshah province, has passed away after battling an illness, state media reported on Saturday.
An Italian journalist was detained earlier this month in Tehran, Rome’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
Syria's new foreign minister on Tuesday called on Tehran to respect the will of the Syrian people and warned them against “spreading chaos”, following remarks made by the Iranian foreign minister about the country's political future.
Iran on Tuesday said it is holding diplomatic talks with Syria’s transitional government to reopen its embassy in Damascus after the fall of top ally Bashar al-Assad.
The Iranian parliament’s security committee issued a letter on Monday calling for the resignation of Javad Zarif, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs and former top diplomat, for having family members with dual citizenship.
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday it has ‘no direct contact’ with the new Syrian government since the fall of top ally Bashar al-Assad and that its presence in the country was solely for defeating the Islamic State (ISIS).
Iran’s parliament speaker on Sunday called for an urgent expert committee to investigate the electricity shortage gripping the country and the depreciation of the Iranian rial.
Iran does not have any proxy forces in the region and is fully capable of taking direct action if necessary, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday, two weeks after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad by rebels.
Renowned Kurdish writer Fattah Amiri from the Kurdish city of Bukan in western Iran (Rojhelat) passed away on Saturday at the age of 78 after a battle with illness.
A forum in Najaf, south of Baghdad, brought together Kurds and Shiites to discuss strengthening ties between the two groups who were historically oppressed in Iraq.
Iran on Saturday demanded Syria investigate the killing of an employee of its Damascus embassy.
Women in Iran have long struggled with the state’s strict dress code. Now they are worried as a new law is about to come into force. Dubbed the “chastity and hijab” law, the legislation has been criticized for severely restricting women's liberties, including the ability to express their identity through their appearance, and imposing heavy penalties for noncompliance.
Implementation of Iran’s plan to shore up its borders and control cross-boundary activity has now reached its frontier with the Kurdistan Region, a border official said on Saturday.
Iran will consider dropping out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in case the “snapback” mechanism is enforced in the coming days of the nuclear talks, an Iranian official said on Tuesday.
Some 300 Iranian students who had been expelled from university have now returned to their studies, a government official said on Saturday. The move fulfills a promise by the president to review the cases of hundreds of students who were disciplined because of their participation in nationwide protests.
Air pollution is killing thousands of people every year in Iran and causing billions of dollars worth of damage, the health minister said on Friday.
A senior Iranian official indicated on Friday that Tehran would be willing to enter into a new nuclear agreement with the incoming administration of United States President-elect Donald Trump, but that it has conditions.
