Iranian Kurdish opposition parties condemn missile strike on Peshmerga in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Kurdish opposition parties on Tuesday "strongly" condemned Tehran's missile strike that killed six Peshmerga fighters and injured dozens more in Erbil province, urging the international community to respond to what they called a violation of the Kurdistan Region’s sovereignty.

In a statement issued by a newly formed coalition of Iranian Kurdish political parties, they said, “The hostile attack by the Islamic Republic on the Peshmerga headquarters is a violation of the political sovereignty of the Kurdistan Region.”

Expressing sympathy for the victims’ families, the coalition emphasized that since the outbreak of the war on February 28, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s missile and drone attacks have targeted “the bases of the parties of Eastern Kurdistan [western Iran], as well as military and civilian centers in the Kurdistan Region,” describing the attacks as “war crimes” by Iran.

The coalition called on allied countries and the international community to take a firm stance against the attacks and respond swiftly.

Early Tuesday, Iranian ballistic missiles struck the Peshmerga Area Command One headquarters in Erbil province’s Soran administration, killing six fighters and injuring 30 others, the Kurdistan Regio's Ministry of Peshmerga said.

This strike follows a series of missile and drone attacks on the Kurdistan Region since February 28, when a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran began.

Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran have claimed responsibility for many attacks on the Kurdistan Region over the past weeks, but this incident marks the first direct strike attributed to Iran itself.

The Ministry of Peshmerga said, “We reaffirm that we have every right to confront any aggression against our people and our land.”

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has maintained strict neutrality throughout the conflict, positioning itself as a “factor of peace” and urging dialogue. KRG leaders have repeatedly stressed that their territory will not be used to threaten neighboring countries.

Ahead of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, the Kurdish opposition parties in Iran announced a new political alliance to unify their efforts against the Islamic Republic and advance Kurdish self-determination.

The alliance brought together six Kurdish parties: the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), the Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan, the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Khabat), and the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.