Kurdish residents of northeast Syria are advising Kurdish groups in Iran against forming an alliance with the United States to confront Tehran, saying their recent experience in Syria shows such partnerships can leave Kurdish fighters exposed and unsupported.
Residents say Iranian Kurdish militias based in northern Iraq have been consulting with U.S. officials in recent days about whether and how to mount attacks on security forces in western Iran, at a time when the United States and Israel have been carrying out air strikes against Iranian targets. Those consultations have prompted warnings from Syrian Kurds who recount the consequences of their own alignment with Washington.
"I hope that the Kurds of Iran will not ally themselves with America, because they will abandon them," said Saad Ali, a 45-year-old resident of Qamishli in northeastern Syria. "Tomorrow, if an agreement is made between them (the U.S.) and the Iranians, they will eliminate you. Do not make our mistakes," he said.
Syrian Kurdish forces once allied with the United States more than a decade ago in the fight against the Islamic State group, taking control of territory from the ultraconservative Islamist fighters and establishing a semi-autonomous administration in areas they held. That situation changed in January when Syria's new army under President Ahmed al-Sharaa launched a wide-ranging offensive that captured most of the territory formerly held by the Kurds.
During that offensive, Syrian Kurdish leaders appealed to the United States for intervention but say they felt betrayed when Washington urged them to integrate with President Ahmed al-Sharaa's forces rather than provide separate protection or guarantees.
"In my opinion, the Kurds in Iran should maintain a firm stance: they will not engage in any wars within Iranian territory without firm, signed guarantees from the United States regarding the future of these Kurdish regions in Iran," said Amjad Kardo, a 26-year-old Syrian Kurd in Qamishli. "We Kurds here in Syria, in particular, have had a negative experience with the Americans in Syria, and their abandonment of Kurdish resistance movements."
An Iranian Kurdish source acknowledged concerns among Kurdish leaders about being betrayed in a similar way to the Kurdish groups in northern Syria. That source said Iranian Kurdish leaders had requested guarantees from the United States, but did not specify what guarantees were sought.
Meanwhile, statements by U.S. political leaders have added to uncertainty. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it would be "wonderful" if Kurdish forces crossed the border from northern Iraq into Iran, though he declined to say whether the United States would provide air support for such an incursion. A few days later, he appeared to change course and told reporters he did not want Kurdish fighters to enter Iran.
Ahmed Barakat, head of the Kurdish Progressive Democratic Party in Syria, warned Iranian Kurdish forces to exercise "extreme caution." He said the decision about whether to accept outside invitations to act is ultimately for Iranian Kurdish leaders to make, but added his view that "accepting the invitation of the United States and being considered the spearhead in confronting or weakening the Iranian regime is not, at present, in the best interest of the Kurds of Iran."
Reports indicate that Israel has also been engaging in talks with Iranian Kurdish insurgent groups based in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan for around a year. The Kurdish communities at the center of these discussions are scattered across a mountainous region that crosses the borders of Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.
The Kurds are mostly Sunni Muslims and speak a language related to Farsi. While they govern three northern provinces in Iraq under their own regional government, in countries such as Iran, Turkey and, more recently, Syria, aspirations for an autonomous region or an independent state have not been realized.
Context and implications
The repeated appeals by Syrian Kurds for their Iranian counterparts to avoid close ties with the United States stem from concrete events earlier this year in Syria, where Kurdish-held territories were taken over by Syrian government forces during a major offensive. Syrian Kurdish leaders’ requests for U.S. intervention were met with encouragement to integrate with government forces, a response Kurds in northeastern Syria interpret as an abandonment of their autonomous posture.
As Iranian Kurdish militias deliberate potential operations inside Iran, the mixed messages from U.S. leadership and parallel outreach by Israel contribute to a fraught decision environment for those groups. Kurdish leaders and residents in northeast Syria urge their counterparts to seek clear, written guarantees before engaging in cross-border conflict, and to weigh the possibility of rapid shifts in international support.
Report compiled from interviews with Kurdish residents and statements from Kurdish political figures in northeastern Syria, along with information regarding ongoing consultations by Iranian Kurdish militias in northern Iraq and reported diplomatic contacts involving Israel.