Diplomacy with Iran’s regime once again failed, and the joint Operation Epic Fury by the United States and Israel now targets the regime’s missile headquarters and naval forces. This time, the war rages longer, as Iran strikes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. This miscalculation recalls Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s mistake in invading Kuwait, which triggered a violent international response. When Saddam had to withdraw from the Kurdistan region in October 1991, the Kurdish Autonomous Region was established and was later recognized in 2005 as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The question is: Can Iran’s regional overreach trigger a comparable territorial transformation for the Kurds and Baluch in Iran?
The Kurds, as the Baluch, have formed their own united coalition; now is the time to translate this political alignment into operational reality .
If the Iranian regime keeps its war machine active for a month, it is likely that it will be forced to withdraw its forces from the west and southeast to secure the center —especially if Kurdish peshmerga and guerillas and Baluch fighters challenge the regime in Kurdish and Baluch regions. Prolonged external confrontation strains logistics, intelligence coordination, and internal security capacity. Tehran has relied on concentrated force to suppress unrest, and a multi-front crisis would stretch its military structure beyond sustainable limits. The Kurdish and Baluch regions have long experienced heavy securitization; however, in moments of national instability, peripheral regions often become the first arenas of internal fracture.
The Kurds, as the Baluch, have formed their own united coalition; now is the time to translate this political alignment into operational reality by “establishing a joint command center within a coordinated defense strategy” (Article 9, Charter of “Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan”). Such coordination would prevent fragmented uprisings and instead create synchronized pressure points, forcing the regime to divide its attention and resources.
Unity of command, clarity of objectives, and disciplined execution would be essential to transforming this volatile moment into a lasting structural shift rather than a temporary confrontation. At the national level in Iran, the Kurdish front has emphasized “support for all democratic activities” (Article 7), grounding its cooperation with nationwide opposition forces in “the recognition of the right to self-determination” (Article 1). Such mutual recognition already exists between the Kurds and the Baluch that can be extended to the Azeris and Arabs for a broader coalition.
“It is time to seize control of your destiny and unleash the prosperous and glorious future.”
The Kurds, in particular, drawing on decades of organizational and political experience, have the capacity for the establishment of a democratic administrative system in Kurdistan. They can create “a democratic space for collective decision-making and firm rejection and condemnation of internal violence” (Article 5). The members parties of the Kurdish coalition, having lived under the KRG, have witnessed firsthand the workings of a Kurdish government which has built parliamentary structures, managed regional security forces, and engaged diplomatically with international actors. This experience—both its successes and its shortcomings—offers practical lessons. By applying effective policies and learning from the KRG’s mistakes, they can more credibly advance the cause of “the freedom of Eastern Kurdistan” (Article 11).
As President Donald Trump said in his statement on the operation, “It is time to seize control of your destiny and unleash the prosperous and glorious future” that is likely “close within reach.” For the Kurds and the Baluch—who have endured the oppressive policies of the Iranian regime over the past four decades—this moment may represent the only generational opportunity to secure recognition and realization of the right to self-determination. History rarely offers repeated openings. Strategic clarity, unity, and disciplined leadership will determine whether this moment becomes a turning point or another missed chapter.
