Iran: Military Escalation Exacerbates the Situation for Minorities

According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the renewed escalation of the war between the U.S. and Iran is exacerbating the already difficult situation for minorities in Iran. “In recent weeks, the regime has at least doubled its military presence in Kurdish and Baloch regions. The goal of the increased military presence is to break the resistance of the Kurds and Baluchis and to nip a potential uprising in the bud,” says Dr. Kamal Sido, the STP’s Middle East consultant.

The mullah regime has been persecuting, displacing, and discriminating against ethnic and religious minorities, as well as women and the pro-democracy movement, since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Members of the Kurdish population in northwestern and western Iran, as well as the Baloch population in the southeast, are engaged in ongoing resistance against the regime. In Iranian Kurdistan, there are tens of thousands of armed Kurds who have been fighting for their freedom for years.

“An uprising by minorities in the outlying regions could significantly weaken the regime and lead to a nationwide uprising against the mullahs. This, in turn, could bring an end to the misery and the war more quickly. Moreover, it would finally open up the prospect of a democratic future for Iranians,” emphasizes Sido, the Middle East consultant. “Trump, Israel, and other NATO countries must take the interests of the Iranian peoples into account. Only the hope of a democratic future could inspire millions of Iranians to take to the streets to put an end to both the regime and the war. Whether this prospect is taken seriously depends on whether the Trump administration leaves the situation in Iran solely in the hands of an autocratic ruler, an enemy of the Kurds, and an anti-Semite like Turkish President Erdogan.”

The interests of the Kurds, Baloch, and other minorities are increasingly being overlooked due to the influence of the Turkish regime under Erdogan and that of Pakistan. According to STP’s assessment, neither Pakistan nor Turkey has any interest in seeing democracy and federal structures established in Iran in which the Kurds and Baloch play a role. Pakistan is home to a large Baloch population, and Turkey is home to at least 20 million Kurds.

“Many Kurds in Iran fear a Turkish invasion of the Kurdish regions in Iran, as has happened in Syria and Iraq. There, Turkey has attacked and displaced the Kurdish population to hinder the development of autonomous, federal structures,” explains the Middle East consultant.

The STP also sharply criticizes U.S. policy toward Iran. The Trump administration, it says, has no plan for the country, which has been ravaged by dictatorship and war. Trump remains as unpredictable as ever in his actions and decisions.

Iran is a multi-ethnic state home to numerous ethnic groups and religious communities. These include the Persian, Azeri, Kurdish, Arab, Balochi, Turkmen, Armenian, and Assyrian ethnic groups, as well as the religious communities of Shiites, Sunnis, Bahá’ís, Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews, Ahl-e Haqq, and Sufi dervishes. Non-Persians and non-Shiites make up nearly half of the approximately 93 million inhabitants. Over the past ten years, the number of people who have converted to Christianity has doubled.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.