Iran nuclear deal doesn’t affect Kurds

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – The deputy leader of a Kurdish opposition party in Iran stated that by reaching an agreement on its nuclear program, Tehran faces its second largest failure since the bloody Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s.

Deputy Secretary-General of the Revolutionary Society of Iranian Kurdistan's Toilers [RSIKT], Raza Kaa’bi, told K24 on Sunday that Iran's slogan during the war against Iraq (1980-88) promoted regional expansion. However, former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ended the war by reaching a forced ceasefire with Iraq. Afterwards, Khomeini admitted this failure and "drank the cup of poison" by accepting a truce mediated by the United Nations.

Kaa’bi noted that Iran encountered its second failure by accepting the current nuclear deal, as  “Iran drank the second cup of poison.”

Kaa’bi also stated that Iran made large sacrifices in the last twenty years in order to achieve certain political and economic objectives, but the current nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 (US, UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany) ended some of these aspirations.

He also commented that many western countries have benefited from the nuclear deal though “the Arab Spring damaged western interests in the Middle East and weakened their influence in the region,” Kaa’bi said.

He stated that the deal prevented a destructive war for the Iranian people. “Iran might gain some temporary advantages, but these won’t create any changes in the lives of regular Iranian citizens," he added.

Kaa’bi continued, “In the past 36 years, Iranian authorities have wasted [Iran's] national wealth...by implementing their foreign policies in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.”

He also pointed out that following the nuclear deal, the Iranian government will increase pressure against civilians and opposition parties.

Concerning the potential impact of the nuclear deal for Kurdish political parties in Iran, Kaa'bi concluded, “The deal will have no impact on the Kurdish movement in Rojhalat (Iranian Kurdistan) because the movement relies on its power and people’s support…the movement has been able to stand on its feet and will continue its activities against the Iranian government.”

(Reporting by Mewan Dolamari; Editing by Benjamin Kweskin)