Six Kurdish fighters killed in IRGC ambush as clashes spread across western Iran

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Thursday it killed 5 members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, portion the Kurdish absorption radical told Fox News Digital that six of its Peshmerga — a word commonly utilized for Kurdish fighters — were killed successful what it described arsenic an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ambush successful northwest Iran.

The clash marks different escalation successful Iran’s Kurdish-majority westbound aft days of reported attacks and clashes involving Iranian information forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Kurdish equipped factions. 

It besides underscores the existent presumption of Iranian Kurdish absorption groups that precocious were viewed by U.S. and Israeli officials arsenic a imaginable unit constituent against Tehran during the U.S.–Israeli warfare with Iran, but yet stayed retired of the struggle amid mixed signals from Washington and unit from some Iran and Turkey.

WAVE OF ATTACKS ON IRAN'S IRGC RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT RENEWED KURDISH INSURGENCY

The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan said six of its Peshmerga — Karo Hormuziari, Fardin Changizi, Mohammad Khaki, Abdullah Mohammadpour, Twana Osmani and Mohammad Amin Bayezidi — were killed successful a clash with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps adjacent Piranshahr successful Iranian Kurdistan July 1, 2026. (The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan)

Majeed Gly, president of the American Kurdish Committee, told Fox News Digital that the latest clashes should not beryllium work arsenic a full-scale uprising, but besides should not beryllium dismissed arsenic regular borderline violence.

"What I’m proceeding is, this is not concern arsenic usual," Gly said. "This is not similar periodic clashes connected the border. This is operations, and it seems to beryllium heavy inside."

Gly said Kurdish vexation has grown sharply aft months of Iranian attacks connected Kurdish areas and opposition-linked sites, including successful the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He said the portion has been deed by much than 850 attacks since February, leaving astatine slightest six civilians dormant and dozens much wounded.

Hejar Berenji, the U.S. typical of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, oregon PDKI, confirmed to Fox News Digital that six PDKI Peshmerga were killed successful a clash with IRGC forces successful the Piranshahr country of Iranian Kurdistan.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it had killed 5 members of the banned PDKI successful northwest Iran, Reuters reported Thursday, citing authorities media. The IRGC said the radical was ambushed aft entering Iranian territory successful mountainous borderline areas adjacent Piranshahr successful West Azerbaijan Province.

WAVE OF ATTACKS ON IRAN'S IRGC RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT RENEWED KURDISH INSURGENCY

Kurdish separatists attempted Iran crossing from Iraq amid protests. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP via Getty Images)

Berenji identified the six Peshmerga arsenic Karo Hormuziari, Fardin Changizi, Mohammad Khaki, Abdullah Mohammadpour, Twana Osmani and Mohammad Amin Bayezidi. He said the incidental took spot Wednesday nighttime successful the colony of Qizqapan, adjacent Piranshahr, and said the PDKI portion was connected a "political and organizational mission" erstwhile it was "ambushed by a ample and heavy equipped IRGC force."

"This should beryllium understood successful the broader discourse of the Islamic Republic’s continued repression successful Iranian Kurdistan and its repeated attacks connected Iranian Kurdish civilian camps successful the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, adjacent during ceasefire and dialog periods," Berenji said. "The authorities has accrued unit connected Kurdish communities due to the fact that it understands that Iranian Kurds stay among the astir organized and determined antiauthoritarian forces wrong Iran."

The PDKI, is 1 of Iran’s oldest Kurdish absorption movements. The radical has been progressive successful decades of intermittent struggle with the Islamic Republic, portion Tehran agelong has viewed Kurdish equipped groups arsenic separatist threats, portion others picture it arsenic a historic, centrist and nationalist Iranian Kurdish absorption radical that Iran has targeted for years, including done assassinations of its leaders decades ago.

The Kurds are 1 of the largest stateless taste groups successful the Middle East, with communities dispersed crossed Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. In Iran, galore Kurds unrecorded successful the country’s mountainous westbound and northwest, wherever Kurdish absorption groups person agelong accused Tehran of repression, executions, forced assimilation and subject crackdowns. Iranian authorities presumption equipped Kurdish factions arsenic separatist oregon "terrorist threats."

The latest clash followed respective days of unit successful occidental Iran. A akin incidental adjacent Piranshahr was reported by Iranian authorities media Tuesday, with the IRGC saying it had killed six members of what it called an "opposition and separatist group." 

Two IRGC members were killed and 2 wounded successful a shooting successful Kermanshah Province Monday evening, an onslaught claimed by a recently formed Kurdish equipped radical seeking retaliation for the IRGC’s relation successful suppressing the 2022–2023 protestation movement, according to the Kurdish rights radical Hengaw.

Iran besides appeared to beryllium expanding unit connected Kurdish absorption groups beyond PJAK, the Kurdistan Free Life Party, aft days of clashes betwixt PJAK and the IRGC, The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday. 

Berenji said the latest clash was not a effect to ongoing U.S.–Iran memorandum of knowing negotiations, which stay unresolved arsenic talks proceed without a finalized agreement.

WAVE OF ATTACKS ON IRAN'S IRGC RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT RENEWED KURDISH INSURGENCY

Vice President JD Vance (center) speaks with Army Chief and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (left) and Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar aft arriving for the US-Iran bid talks successful Islamabad April 11, 2026.  (Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

"The Kurdish conflict for freedom, democracy, and nationalist rights predates the existent negotiations and is not babelike connected them," Berenji said. "At the aforesaid time, immoderate statement that ignores the Kurdish question, the regime’s attacks connected Kurdish civilians, and the repression wrong Iran volition not bring existent stability."

Gly said Kurdish choler has been compounded by connection successful the U.S.–Iran memorandum of knowing that critics construe arsenic Washington agreeing not to interfere successful Iran’s interior affairs.

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People instrumentality portion successful a march successful Erbil, Iraq, connected April 21, 2026, expressing enactment for the unity of Iranian Kurdish parties and condemning Iranian rocket strikes and subject actions against Kurdish groups successful the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.  (Rasul Gawhari / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

"This condemnation has taken each Iranian absorption radical the incorrect way, particularly the Kurds," Gly said. 

He argued that adjacent during negotiations with hostile powers, the United States should not wantonness its nationalist enactment for state movements, invoking erstwhile President Ronald Reagan’s attack to the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Gly said helium does not spot wide grounds that Kurdish groups person gained large caller subject capabilities, but said the cognition of Iran’s spot has changed.

"What has changed is the cognition of weakness of Iran," Gly told Fox News Digital. "They are little acrophobic of the regime."

The caller unit carries broader value for Washington due to the fact that Iranian Kurdish absorption groups were precocious discussed arsenic a imaginable crushed unit constituent against Tehran. 

U.S. officials and Kurdish groups had discussed a imaginable subject cognition against Iranian information forces successful occidental Iran, Reuters reported successful March, portion a abstracted study said Israel was backing Iranian Kurdish plans to prehend Iranian borderline areas, though specified an cognition would apt necessitate U.S. and Israeli support.

But those expectations rapidly faltered. In April, Kurdish fighters yet stayed retired of the warfare due to the fact that of mixed signals from Washington and Israel, arsenic good arsenic Iranian threats and strikes against Kurdish positions successful Iraq. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged President Donald Trump during the struggle to forestall Kurdish forces from launching a crushed cognition wrong Iran, reflecting Ankara’s longstanding absorption to Kurdish equipped movements gaining crushed successful the region, Reuters besides reported. 

During the conflict, Trump told Reuters helium would beryllium "all for it" if the Kurds wanted to determination against Iran and said their nonsubjective should beryllium "to win," but Kurdish commanders were frustrated by the deficiency of a wide U.S. oregon Israeli strategy.

Berenji said the PDKI does not question chaos, but insisted Kurdish forces person the close to support themselves.

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Naval units from Iran and Russia simulate the rescue of a hijacked vas during associated drills astatine the Port of Bandar Abbas successful Hormozgan, Iran, connected Feb. 19, 2026. (Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"We question a democratic, pluralistic, secular, and national Iran wherever each nations and communities tin unrecorded with dignity and rights," helium said. "But the Kurdish radical besides person the close to support themselves against repression, intimidation, and attacks by the IRGC."

Fox News Digital has reached retired to Iran’s ngo to the United Nations for comment.