Iranian Kurdish Dissidents Test Tehran’s Grip Amid Israel-Iran Conflict

The recent conflict between Israel and Iran, punctuated by U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, has reverberated far beyond the battlegrounds, stirring cautious anticipation among Iranian Kurdish dissident groups based in northern Iraq. These groups watch closely for signs that Tehran’s theocratic regime might be vulnerable to internal unrest or external pressure, an aspiration long held but fraught with complexities. Iran’s regime, entrenched since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has repeatedly demonstrated its resilience despite international pressure and internal discontent. The latest wave of Israeli airstrikes beginning June 13 and the subsequent use of massive bunker-buster bombs by the U.S. marked...