Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has attacked parts of northern Iraq held by Kurdish groups, as anti-government protests continue in Iran’s Kurdish-majority regions and elsewhere. The IRGC confirmed that it hit 3 area’s in the Kurdish region, with missles and drones, that the Tehran considered to be ‘Terrorist’ organisations. According to local sources, 26 members of Komala and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan groups were killed in the attack. The United States Central Command condemned the action, saying that it violated Iraqi sovereignty and jeopardized their security. The IRGC claimed the area they attacked was held by the groups several times and they smuggled weapons in and out of the country. Meanwhile, protests erupted mid-september when Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police for not adhering to the dress code of women in the country. Foreign based human rights organizations say several people were shot dead by Iranian authorities during the protests. Right groups say that 400 people have been killed, including about 60 children, and with the unrest continuing in Iran, the country’s national football team has come under scrutiny from media as it prepares to face England in both teams’ World Cup opener.
This article is important because it shows how the Kurdish in Iraq are being targeted by Iran. This means the region will continue, as it always has, having religious and ethnic crises. This issue could even become extreamly violent, leading to genocide. The spread of Islam among Kurds started in the 7th century with Muslim conquests. Muslim Arabs are Shia Muslims while Muslim Kurds are Sunni Muslims. There is a continuing feud between Shia and Sunni muslims due to their religious differences. Coupled with the fact Iran (and it’s neighbors) perceive the Kurds as a threat due to their numbers, geographic distribution and resistances to central authority, it is easy to see why there is a conflict between the Kurds in Iraq and Iran.
As you can see, Iran is taking a more Offensive Realist approach. According to Offensive realists, the thing that moves states to maximize their power and influence is becoming so powerful that they are secure, and we can definitely see that here. Iran see’s the Iraq Kurds as a threat, economically and globally, so they are taking Offensive action to secure their security as a powerful state. Even though this may be true, Defensive realists have a different side, in that conquest or aggression rarely pays off. We see this in how unpopular Iran is becoming on a global scale.