Kurdish communities in northeastern Syria are issuing stark warnings to their Iranian counterparts, urging them not to partner with the United States in any confrontation against Tehran’s government.
The advice stems from the Syrian Kurds’ own bitter experience of what they describe as American abandonment in recent months, following more than a decade of cooperation in fighting ISIS.
Speaking from the northeastern Syrian Kurdish city of Qamishli, 45-year-old resident Saad Ali expressed his concerns about potential Iranian Kurdish cooperation with Washington.
“I hope that the Kurds of Iran will not ally themselves with America, because they will abandon them,” Ali stated. “Tomorrow, if an agreement is made between them (the U.S.) and the Iranians, they will eliminate you. Do not make our mistakes.”
The warning comes amid reports that Iranian Kurdish militant groups operating from northern Iraq have recently engaged in discussions with American officials regarding possible operations against Iranian security forces, as tensions escalate between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
Syrian Kurdish forces had established a partnership with the United States over ten years ago to combat the Islamic State, eventually creating their own semi-independent territory in areas they had liberated from the extremist organization.
However, their situation dramatically changed in January when Syria’s new military forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa launched a major campaign that seized control of most Kurdish-controlled regions. When Syrian Kurds appealed to Washington for support, they felt betrayed as the U.S. instead encouraged them to integrate with al-Sharaa’s army.
This recent turn of events has left Syrian Kurds feeling disillusioned with American reliability as an ally.
“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 26-year-old Syrian Kurd Amjad Kardo from 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,” Kardo added.
Sources familiar with Iranian Kurdish leadership indicate that these groups share similar concerns about potential betrayal, echoing the experiences of their Syrian counterparts. These leaders have reportedly sought assurances from the United States, though the specific nature of these guarantees remains unclear.
President Donald Trump’s statements on the matter have been inconsistent. On Thursday, he told reporters it would be “wonderful” if Kurdish forces moved from northern Iraq into Iran, but refused to clarify whether the U.S. would provide air support for such operations. By Saturday, Trump appeared to reverse course, stating he opposed Kurdish fighters entering Iran.
Ahmed Barakat, who leads the Kurdish Progressive Democratic Party in Syria, advised Iranian Kurdish forces to proceed with “extreme caution.”
While acknowledging that the final decision rests with Iranian Kurdish groups, Barakat argued 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.”
Recent reports also indicate that Israel has maintained separate discussions with Iranian Kurdish insurgent organizations based in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region for approximately one year.
The Kurdish people represent an ethnic minority that has remained without a sovereign state since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire created modern Middle Eastern boundaries a century ago.
Predominantly Sunni Muslim, Kurds speak a language with Persian roots and primarily inhabit mountainous territories spanning Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey.
While Iraqi Kurds have achieved significant autonomy through their regional government controlling three northern provinces, Kurdish populations in Iran, Turkey, and Syria continue to face obstacles in their aspirations for self-governance or statehood.
