ERBIL — Armed forces affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have raided the headquarters of three Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in Sulaymaniyah and ordered them to vacate their premises by the end of the month, a senior source confirmed.

The offices of Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan and Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan in the Zrgwez area of Sulaymaniyah were targeted. According to VOA's Kurdish Service, Sulaymaniyah security forces instructed these groups to relocate to a camp in Soordash.

A senior member of Komala told BasNews that PUK forces visited their headquarters again on Thursday, warning them to leave the area. "We are still in negotiations with the PUK," the source said.

Similarly, a representative of Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan indicated that PUK security had set a deadline for them to vacate their offices and move to Soordash in the Dukan district of Sulaymaniyah. The group expressed concerns about the potential handover of their bases to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which they strongly opposed.

Political analyst Dilshad Jalal Kamil told BasNews that the PUK appears to be prioritizing relations with the PKK and a regional state, possibly at the expense of the Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. “There is a danger that Komala’s headquarters will be handed over to the PKK," he warned.

The raids come in the context of tensions between Iran and Iraq. In late August, 2023, Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that the Iraqi federal government had agreed to disarm and relocate Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region, following pressure from Tehran.

Iran has long viewed these factions as separatist and terrorist groups, engaged in armed struggle for Kurdish national and cultural rights since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Many of the opposition groups have found refuge in the Kurdistan Region, but the agreement between Iraq and Iran demands their relocation by September 19, 2023.