Iranian forces have launched strikes on Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq, the latest in a campaign of roughly 200 attacks on Kurdistan Region targets since March 2026. The strikes are part of Iran’s broader military operations against Kurdish opposition groups it designates as terrorist organizations, and they come at a peculiar moment: just weeks after the US Treasury sanctioned Iranian crypto exchanges for allegedly helping the IRGC dodge financial restrictions.
What’s happening on the ground
Iran has been hammering Kurdish opposition positions across northern Iraq with drones and missiles for months now. The June 8 strike targeted headquarters belonging to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and Komala, two groups that have long been thorns in Tehran’s side.
Since early March, Iran has carried out approximately 200 strikes on Kurdistan Region sites. Earlier attacks during April and May resulted in injuries among members of both PDKI and Komala.
A ceasefire between the US and Iran was established in April 2026. Despite this, Iranian attacks on opposition camps continued right through late May and into June. The ceasefire applied to certain theaters of conflict but apparently not to Tehran’s campaign against Kurdish groups it accuses of hosting anti-Iran activities.
