Vice President of the anti-Iran Kurdistan Freedom Party and commander of the military wing of the party, Hussein Yazdan Bina declared that the fate of any future Kurdish state will be decided by the people through ballot boxes.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that his party is seeking to follow in the footsteps of Qazi Muhammad, the Kurdish separatist leader who founded the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and headed the short-lived Republic of Mahabad 73 years ago.
The Kurdistan Freedom Party had, along with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, waged four years of war against the ISIS terrorist group in Iraq in defense of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The party is led by the Muhammad’s oldest son, Ali. It controls the Kurdistan capital Erbil and has tightened its grip over the city after the redeployment of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The Kurdish authorities in the autonomous have rejected repeated pressure from Tehran to expel the Freedom Party from the region.
Yazdan Bina spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat from Kirkuk city, saying that “Iran has failed in its pressure.”
“The balance of power has changed, as have political equations in the region,” he explained. “It is no longer in a position to dictate demands or exert pressure on the Kurdistan region.”
“The Iranian regime has become exhausted in its search for an exit to its crisis,” he added.
“Iran is unlike any other country in the world. It is a Persian empire that has been built at the expense of other peoples, such as Kurds, Arabs, Balochs and other minorities.”
“The Persians have been hostile to these communities, which are now beginning to reject their rule and are waiting for the right moment to liberate themselves from them,” Yazdan Bina said.
Moreover, he declared that the “empire” has become a major threat to regional and international peace and security.
“Tehran is expanding its hegemony in the region,” he warned. “Should Washington continue its pressure on Tehran and should it bolster its cooperation with the oppressed people, then they can rise up in the near future and liberate themselves.”
“The international community will also be rid of a regime that is the world’s greatest sponsor of terrorism,” he stressed.
Addressing US sanctions against Iran, Yazdan Bina said that they are tailored to ensure Washington’s interests in the region.
“American and western interests coincide with those of the Kurdish people in regards to combating global terrorism, cementing democracy in the region and weakening the Tehran regime,” he went on to say.
He noted that the American administration's declaration that it does not seek regime change in Iran has not really helped Tehran maintain its stability. He instead predicted that the regime will collapse “soon.”
“The regime’s reckless disregard of the sovereignty of regional countries and its arrogance may lead to a wide-scale war in the area. This may ultimately lead the US or even Israel to resort to military force because Iran is a great threat to Israel,” Yazdan Bina warned.
Asked if the Freedom Party would take part in any American military strike against Iran, he replied that the regime left the Kurds with no choice but to take up arms to fight for their legitimate rights.
Iran is the Kurds and democracy’s greatest enemy, he declared.
The party will support any political, military or economic effort aimed at overthrowing the regime, he vowed.
