Protest crisis allegedly draws armed Kurdish groups to Iran’s borders

DUBAI-

Armed Kurdish separatist groups sought to cross the border into Iran from Iraq, three sources familiar with the matter said, in a sign of foreign entities potentially seeking to take advantage of instability after days of crackdown on protests against Tehran.

The three sources, who included a senior Iranian official and who all spoke on condition of anonymity, said neighbouring Turkey's intelligence agency had warned Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) of the Kurdish fighters crossing the frontier in recent days.

The Iranian official said the IRGC had clashed with the Kurdish fighters, who the official said sought to create instability and take advantage of the protests. The Guards are an elite force that has suppressed previous bouts of unrest in Iran.

The Turkish intelligence agency MIT did not immediately comment on the issue, nor did the presidency in Ankara. Turkey, which deems Kurdish militants in northern Iraq terrorists, has warned in recent days that any foreign intervention in Iran would escalate regional crises.

The fighters had been dispatched from Iraq and Turkey, the Iranian official said, adding that Tehran has asked those countries to halt any transfer of fighters or weapons to Iran.

Middle East Online reported on Wednesday that Iran and Iraq have stepped up border security amid fears of opposition infiltration.

The Baghdad-Tehran relationship has long been close, with Iraqi authorities previously supporting Iran in its fight against terrorism. However, analysts note that Tehran views Iraqi territory as a strategic rear base, at times using local armed factions to exert pressure on US interests.

In line with this approach, the two governments have previously agreed to dismantle camps used by opposition groups such as the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) along the border. Iranian forces have also carried out targeted strikes on Iraqi soil, particularly in Iraqi Kurdistan, against Kurdish factions accused of waging guerrilla warfare against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and army.

Since December 28, widespread demonstrations have erupted across Iran over worsening economic and living conditions, escalating pressure on the regime. US and Israeli officials have openly expressed hopes for the collapse of Iran’s government, in power since 1979.

A rights group said 2,600 people have been killed in recent days in a crackdown on Iranian protesters opposing clerical rule and who have been urged on by the United States, which has threatened to intervene.