How the Strikes on Iraq’s Militias Followed the Country’s Divide
The pattern that emerged in the strikes on pro-Iran Iraqi militias between February 28 and March 11 was striking not…
A Sanctioned Broker, an Iranian Intelligence Link, and the Barzani Company Between Them
Court filings, leaked records, and UK and EU sanctions designations are building a picture of how a Barzani-linked financial system…
Caught Between Trump and Tehran, the PUK Has Nowhere to Hide
The PUK has emerged as a central player in the U.S.-Israel push to arm Iranian Kurdish groups and allow them…
Written by
Arivan
Iran to KDP and PUK Leaders: Let One Fighter Cross and We Strike You Directly
Iranian officials have warned KDP and PUK leadership that if one Iranian Kurdish fighter is allowed to cross the border into Iran and they find out, they will directly attack…
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Written by
Arivan
Airstrikes in Iran’s West Target Police Stations and Border Posts, Hinting at a Ground Strategy Built Around the Kurds
Tehran remains the main centre of strikes, but the more revealing pattern is unfolding in the west. The war now looks less like a single-front assault and more like a…
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Written by
Arivan
Who Comes First Where in Iranian Kurdistan
None of the Iranian Kurdish parties appears to command broad, province-wide mass support in the classic sense. Their relative weight is better understood geographically: which movement carries the strongest historic…
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Written by
Arivan
What happens to PKK strongholds in the Kurdistan Region after the PKK vacates them?
One year after Abdullah Ocalan’s call to the PKK to disarm, the peace process has entered a phase in which the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is the physical stage on…
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Written by
Arivan
Iran’s Kurdish Opposition Unveils a New Alliance, but Leaves the Hard Questions Unanswered
Five Iranian Kurdish opposition parties have announced what they call the “Kurdistan Alliance,” a new framework intended to coordinate decision-making for Iranian Kurdistan. The announcement was made in the Kurdistan…
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Written by
Arivan
Turkey’s PKK Peace Commission Adopts a Disarmament Framework and a Regional Doctrine
Turkey’s parliamentary peace commission, established to chart a political and legal path out of the decades-long conflict with the PKK, adopted its landmark report on 18 February 2026, laying out an architecture…
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Written by
Arivan
Mazloum Abdi at Munich: What It Was, and What It Was Not
Mazloum Abdi’s participation in the Munich Security Conference mattered, but it must be understood within its proper context. Inflating its significance risks pushing expectations beyond what the conference, or the…
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