PDKI held its 18th leadership meeting at a secret location in August 2017 due to Iranian terrorist threats. In the meeting, PDKI\u2019s leadership decided to strengthen and expand Rasan \u2013 the past years reinvigorated struggle in eastern (Iranian) Kurdistan. The leadership also expressed its support for the independence referendum in southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan.<\/p>\n
PDKI\u2019s 18th leadership meeting was opened with a minute of silence to honor the latest Peshmerga martyrs, Yaqob Moradi and Hemin Molannejad.<\/p>\n
Mustafa Hijri, the leader of PDKI, submitted a report to the 18th leadership meeting in which he outlined the party\u2019s assessment of current geopolitical trends, as well as developments in Kurdistan and Iran.<\/p>\n
The report points out that in the past decade the Islamic Republic of Iran managed to expand its influence by instigating sectarian violence and supporting terrorism in the Middle East. Power vacuums in the region, especially following the collapse of the regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the war in Syria, were exploited by Iran in pursuit of its expansionist objectives. The withdrawal of American troops in Iraq, including the Obama administration\u2019s Iran policy, has fed Iranian expansionism. <\/p>\n
The report further underlines that changes in U.S. policy toward the Islamist regime in Tehran in combination with the opposition of major regional actors to Iranian aggression has coalesced into significant hurdles to Iran\u2019s expansionism. <\/p>\n
The report also addresses the nuclear agreement and Iran\u2019s role in Syria. It highlights the fact that the nuclear deal has failed to mitigate the economic hardships of ordinary people in Iran. That the new U.S. administration finds Iran in breach of the spirit of the deal is also a significant development.<\/p>\n
American concerns about the Islamic Republic\u2019s expansionist and aggressive policies have been amplified by the Islamist regime\u2019s ballistic missile program. Meanwhile, Iran\u2019s heavy military presence in Syria, ostensibly justified for the purpose of fighting ISIS but which in fact is in the service of saving the Assad regime and increasing Iranian influence in the Levant, has been overshadowed by Russia\u2019s military intervention and the increasing American military involvement in Syria. Iran\u2019s effort to realize the \u201cShia crescent\u201d plan has been undermined by agreements between the United States and Russia to establish safe zones in eastern and southeastern Syria. <\/p>\n
The report also sheds light on the situation in Iraq. Due to the withdrawal of U.S. military forces in Iraq, followed by U.S. political disengagement during the previous administration, Iran essentially came to dominate Iraq. However, the United States has increased its military presence in Iraq and the new U.S. administration has demonstrated political will in countering Iranian hegemonic schemes. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries and Egypt have taken steps to counter Iranian hegemonic schemes in Iraq. Shiite forces and figures in Iraq are now openly voicing their concerns over Iranian hegemony and have come to realize the detrimental consequences of Iranian domination of their country.<\/p>\n
Given these dynamics in the region, Mr. Hijri concludes in his report that the era of Iranian expansionism is coming to an end and it may be followed by a rollback of Iranian destabilizing role in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The report also calls for greater unity among Kurdish forces in all parts of Kurdistan. In eastern Kurdistan, people are becoming more organized in their struggle against the Islamist regime. Moreover, urban Peshmerga units have been formed all over Kurdistan to protect the Kurdish people from Iranian aggression. <\/p>\n
Regarding the situation in Iran, the report highlights that the human rights situation has worsened dramatically in recent years. As documented by human rights organizations like Amnesty, human rights violations have increased since Hassan Rouhani became president of the Islamist regime. <\/p>\n
As far as the infighting between the regimes factions are concerned, the report concludes that such infighting reflects power struggles within the regime rather than ideological or policy differences. The bottom line is that the different Islamist factions are committed to preserving the Islamist regime and its expansionist policies.<\/p>\n
Against the backdrop of regional developments as well as developments in Kurdistan and Iran, PDKI decided during its 18th Leadership meeting to strengthen and expand Rasan through new methods. <\/p>\n
The leadership of the party also expressed its support for the planned independence referendum in southern Kurdistan. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PDKI held its 18th leadership meeting at a secret location in August 2017 due to Iranian terrorist threats. In the meeting, PDKI\u2019s leadership decided to strengthen and expand Rasan \u2013 the past years reinvigorated struggle in eastern (Iranian) Kurdistan. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[52,54],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/131850-34b1bf0722df7c8a0584f865f360a4e2.jpg?fit=500%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p12yuy-1gP","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5042,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/pdki-organized-a-rally-in-support-of-southern-kurdistans-independence-referendum\/","url_meta":{"origin":4887,"position":0},"title":"PDKI Organized a Rally in Support of Southern Kurdistan\u2019s Independence Referendum","author":"Admin English","date":"September 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, September 15, PDKI organized a rally in support of Southern Kurdistan\u2019s independence referendum in one of its bases outside of Hawler (Erbil), the capital of southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan. PDKI\u2019s leadership, Peshmerga, cadre and members took part in the rally and expressed their support for southern Kurdistan\u2019s independence. A number\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Speeches"","block_context":{"text":"Speeches","link":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/category\/mustafa-hijri\/speeches-mustafa-hijri\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image.jpg?fit=967%2C838&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image.jpg?fit=967%2C838&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image.jpg?fit=967%2C838&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/image.jpg?fit=967%2C838&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5032,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/iran-renews-threats-against-pdki-and-southern-kurdistan\/","url_meta":{"origin":4887,"position":1},"title":"Iran Renews Threats against PDKI and Southern Kurdistan","author":"Admin English","date":"September 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Iran\u2019s latest threats against PDKI come against the backdrop of southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan\u2019s planned independence referendum and PDKI\u2019s support for it. The latest threat was issued by Ali Shamkhani, head of the Iranian Islamist regime\u2019s security council. PDKI leader Mustafa Hijri said in an interview that the party\u2019s Peshmerga Forces\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Press Release"","block_context":{"text":"Press Release","link":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/category\/pressrelease\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/4bka8176903b6dggum_800C450.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/4bka8176903b6dggum_800C450.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/4bka8176903b6dggum_800C450.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/4bka8176903b6dggum_800C450.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4603,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/mustafa-hijri-we-believe-the-independence-of-kurdistan-is-a-right\/","url_meta":{"origin":4887,"position":2},"title":"Mustafa Hijri: \u201cWe believe independence of Kurdistan is a right\u201d","author":"akamr","date":"September 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In an interview with Reese Erlich of the Global Post Mustafa Hijri, PDKI\u2019s leader, sheds light on the purpose of his latest visit to Washington DC and the PDKI\u2019s view on the nuclear ambitions of Iran and the rights of the Kurdish nation in Iran. Below is an excerpt of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Interviews"","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/category\/mustafa-hijri\/interviews-mustafa-hijri\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Mustafa-Hijri.png?fit=576%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Mustafa-Hijri.png?fit=576%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Mustafa-Hijri.png?fit=576%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4629,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/new-clashes-between-pdki-peshmerga-and-irgc\/","url_meta":{"origin":4887,"position":3},"title":"New Clashes between PDKI Peshmerga and IRGC","author":"akamr","date":"June 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Following heavy clashes between PDKI's Peshmerga Forces and Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in several villages in the vicinity of the city of Shno (Oshnaviah) on June 15 and 16, clashes also erupted in the city of Piranshar on June 16. 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According to the assessment of PDKI, Russia\u2019s intervention in the Syrian civil war will tip\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Press Release"","block_context":{"text":"Press Release","link":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/category\/pressrelease\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/PDKI-Leadership-Meeting-Reviewed-Current-Developments.jpg?fit=620%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/PDKI-Leadership-Meeting-Reviewed-Current-Developments.jpg?fit=620%2C412&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pdki.org\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/PDKI-Leadership-Meeting-Reviewed-Current-Developments.jpg?fit=620%2C412&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6049,"url":"https:\/\/pdki.org\/english\/pdki-leader-we-support-the-uprising-of-al-ahwaz-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":4887,"position":5},"title":"PDKI leader: We Support the Uprising of Al-Ahwaz People","author":"Ali","date":"June 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In a televised message to the people of Al-Ahwaz, Mustafa Hijri, the leader of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), declared the PDKI\u2019s support to the uprising people of Al-Ahwaz, Abadan, and other cities of the region. 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