The U.S. should maintain the pressure on the Iranian regime until it collapses

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran has changed the world’s direction and redefined the norms of the Gulf region. This war is not merely a product of President Donald Trump; rather, decades of hostility from the Iranian regime have contributed to terror and devastation in the region, mainly because the international community was unable to take a firm stance to prevent the Ayatollahs’ regime from overstepping its boundaries.

In retrospect, the former Iraqi regime under Saddam Hussein waged an eight-year war, which was supported by the U.S., and despite causing severe damage to both Iraq and Iran, the war served as a shield against Iranian Shiism spreading across the region.

After the fall of Hussein’s regime in 2003, the Arab nations attempted to maintain peace with Iran, as the leaders of the region in the past have realized that the price is indeed very high for taking action against the Ayatollahs. Iran has always destabilized regional security and halted every peace process through its armed militias and its self-proclaimed right to fight for Palestine and call for the eradication of the Jewish State.

Apparently, peace does not exist in Iran’s Islamic regime’s philosophy.

The late supreme leader of Iran’s Islamic regime, Ayatollah Khomeini, said during the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, “Your Iranian brothers, in order to defend their country and push back the attacks on the enemy of Islam, have been forced to cross over into Iraq to save the oppressed Iraqi people. Rise up and install the Islamic government that you want.”

From the time of supreme leader Khomeini in the 1980s until today, the radical ideology and the hostile mindset of the Islamic leaders of Iran have not evolved, as they have continuously believed that the creation of life began with the birth of Shiism. The threat of the Islamic regime extends further, as its intention is to dominate the region and expand its radicalized ideology combined with political power to control the main resources of the region.

Now, the U.S.’s silence regarding the Iran-backed Houthi militia’s attacks on Saudi Arabia is becoming a growing concern for other countries, as the threat from Iran cannot be ignored. Egypt is considering a military deployment to assist the Saudis in their battle against the Houthis, as Egypt clearly views Iran’s threat as a major problem to which no nation is immune.

President Trump has been maneuvering with Iran through his inconsistent statements about the conflict and the military’s actions in the region. Obviously, the U.S. is wisely playing the war game with Iran, for the latter is unlike a typical country that can be easily invaded to overthrow its government. President Trump is also benefitting from this conflict, as, according to the Joint Economic Committee, he has gained over $15 million from oil and gas stocks.

The American public in general disapproves of the U.S.-Iran war, and of course, the Democrats are aligning with the public’s opinion for their political purposes. As the U.S. midterm elections are approaching, the Democrats are aiming to gain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

However, the U.S. is in a stronger position than it appears to be in its war against Iran, and while the American people, who are being encouraged by the Democrats, are outraged by the billions of dollars being spent on the war, it is a major opportunity for the U.S. to maintain its iron hammer on the Islamic regime of Iran and completely destroy its economy.

Apparently, the U.S.’s sanctions on Iran have an immense impact on the country, as the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said, “Never in the 48 years since the Islamic Revolution have we been under such pressure and faced such difficulties.”

But how long will the U.S. remain committed to imposing sanctions on Iran and draining its economy? Militarily, the U.S. has not been able to completely disable the Iranian regime and impact its infrastructure as much as it has economically. Regarding the U.S.’s sanctions on Iran, President Pezeshkian stated that they are “far harder and heavier,” as he compared the economic sanctions to military conflict.

The U.S.-Iran conflict was inevitable, as, for decades, the Islamic regime of Iran has been establishing armed militias and destabilizing the security of the region’s countries, which has also threatened American interests and its closest ally, Israel. The hostility of Iran’s regime is entrenched in its Islamic/Shiite ideology, which has been striving, since 1979, to bring the region under its control.

The existence of the Iranian regime is a permanent threat to the region, as its proxies will always remain vital in the region. In fact, negotiation does not exist in the political Islamic ideology as represented by Iran. The Iran-backed militia, Harakat al-Nujaba, recently declared its opposition to the Iraqi government’s call to disarm the armed militias.

Abdul Qader al-Karbalai, the military deputy for the group, stated, “We affirm that our decision is firm and has not changed regarding our continued non-participation in the political process.” Obviously, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, is unable to change Iraq’s path, as the majority of government members, who are Shia, are ideologically linked to Iran, which influences the political process in Iraq.

After all, to sustain pressure on Iran and increase the impact, the U.S. should not relent; it must continue to impose strict sanctions on the Islamic regime of Iran and block the airways until it collapses.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.

Copyright © 2026 iKurd.net. All rights reserved.

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WASHINGTON,— US President Donald Trump called on Saturday for Ukraine to replace its leader, criticizing Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil sites a day after announcing a diesel deal with Russia that angered President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky offered some of his sharpest criticism yet of the White House, linking the US move to lift sanctions on Russian diesel to a Russian strike that killed 20 people, including three children, in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday.

Global diesel prices have risen sharply since the Iran war began in February, becoming a political problem for Trump’s Republican Party ahead of next month’s midterm elections, where Democrats could gain control of one or both chambers of Congress.

“I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters at the White House, saying Zelensky had hurt global diesel supplies by striking Russian refineries.

He said Zelensky was creating problems for American farmers and ranchers, since Russia supplies much of the world’s diesel fuel.

Earlier Saturday, Zelensky said Trump’s Friday announcement of the diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin had emboldened Moscow. Kyiv has urged Washington instead to pressure Moscow into serious talks to end the war, now in its fifth year.

Russia’s government said Saturday it had partly lifted its ban on diesel exports.

“Today, Russia said thank you for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” Zelensky said.

He said the previous night showed again that Russia sees any easing of pressure as permission to keep fighting and bombing cities, adding that different signals were needed.

Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine, has been a frequent target of Russian bombing, with strikes growing heavier in recent months.

Trump has clashed with Zelenskiy before. On February 19, 2025, Trump labeled Zelenskiy “a dictator without elections” and warned that unless Zelenskiy moved quickly to secure peace, he would have no country left.

The tension escalated further on February 28, 2025, when Trump and Zelenskiy clashed openly at the White House over the war.

On Saturday, a six-year-old girl was among the dead after a strike flattened part of an apartment building. Her grandfather, Anatoliy Chumniy, wept over her body after rescuers pulled it from the rubble and laid it on the ground in a white bag.

“Her birthday would have been at the end of the month,” he said through tears.

It was the third deadly mass attack on Ukraine in a week. Nearly 80 civilians were killed in Russian strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, including at least 30 killed by a bomb in the eastern city of Kramatorsk and 22 others killed by a missile in Pryluky, about 130 kilometers, or 80 miles, east of Kyiv.

The diesel deal also drew criticism from US lawmakers, including Republican Representative Don Bacon, who said Congress should enforce sanctions it had recently passed rather than lift them.

Analysts said the deal was unlikely to bring lasting lower fuel prices, noting the volumes involved remain far below what Russia usually exports when its refineries are not under attack.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke with Zelensky on Saturday and said Britain would strengthen sanctions on Russia, a Downing Street spokesperson said, adding that the two leaders would meet in person within days.

The strikes followed talks on Friday in Miami between Ukrainian and European officials and US negotiators, aimed at shaping a joint plan to end the war, according to a person familiar with the talks.

Trump announced the diesel deal while those talks were underway, a move Zelensky said caught Kyiv by surprise.

The Ukrainian delegation returned home Saturday, presidential aide Dmytro Lytvyn told the Interfax Ukraine news agency.

Putin said after speaking with Trump on Friday that an immediate resumption of peace talks was unlikely, citing Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow.

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may travel to Moscow within two weeks, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported Saturday, citing a source.

At the White House, Trump also criticized Zelensky over the lack of a peace deal while demanding an end to Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites.

“I said to him, ‘Do what you want. Don’t hit refineries. There’s plenty of targets. Don’t hit refineries.’ And he went out and he hit,’” Trump said, adding that Zelensky had “better stop.”

He said Ukraine should pick a new leader who can make a deal, since Zelensky had many chances to do so but never did.

(With files from Reuters)

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WASHINGTON,— The United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court on Friday, escalating the Trump administration’s longstanding dispute with the institution and creating new tensions with European allies.

The announcement came hours after South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former member of the court’s Appeals Chamber, received the Nobel Peace Prize.

The ICC, which has 125 member states, condemned Washington’s decision as an “assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order.” It called on its members to defend the court.

“The Court cannot stand alone. Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it,” the institution said. It warned that the issue extended beyond the court itself to the international order founded on the rule of law, adding, “History will judge this moment.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would not permit the ICC to prosecute Americans.

“President Trump will never allow the International Criminal Court to prosecute Americans,” Rubio said in a statement first published by Reuters.

He said Washington would prohibit transactions with what he called a “rogue court,” seeking to cut its resources and impair its ability to function.

The Treasury Department announced a six-month initial grace period, along with exemptions covering some telecommunications, software, pension payments and transactions involving detainees.

Rubio said the measures were intended to give the ICC and its member states time to address U.S. objections. The sanctions could be adjusted if those concerns were not resolved.

Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The Trump administration has repeatedly challenged its authority, previously imposing sanctions on prosecutors and judges.

The latest measures expand the potential impact by exposing companies that provide services to the court to penalties.

Washington has objected to ICC arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It has also criticized the court’s earlier investigation into actions by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. The ICC says that investigation is “deprioritized.”

Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told Reuters that the sanctions were designed to weaken international rule of law and undermine an independent judicial institution. She said the court would continue its work across its investigations and prosecutions.

The ICC has publicly indicted more than 70 people in cases involving international conflicts and political leaders.

Its targets have included Netanyahu, Hamas figures, Russian President Vladimir Putin, former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Charges against Kenyan President William Ruto and former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were withdrawn.

The Nobel Peace Prize committee cited political pressure on international legal institutions in awarding the prize to Pillay. She served on the ICC’s Appeals Chamber from 2003 to 2008.

The committee described the award as an expression of support for international tribunals when “judges and institutions of international law are under political attack.”

“An international legal system in which war criminals are held to account and the victims of abuse see justice served is a precondition for a peaceful world,” the committee said.

The court’s membership includes every European Union country and every NATO member except the United States and Turkey. Its headquarters are in the Netherlands, a member of both the EU and NATO.

Sanctions imposed by Washington generally bar U.S.-based companies from working with designated organizations. Banks may close their accounts, insurers may withdraw coverage, and software companies may stop providing services.

The Trump administration imposed targeted sanctions on ICC officials during his first term, but Biden rescinded them. Washington announced a new round of sanctions just days after Trump returned to office in January 2025.

The court had been preparing for the possibility of broader restrictions for months. Officials moved office computers away from Microsoft software to open-source alternatives and made new arrangements for banking and health insurance.

ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler called on the European Union earlier this week to prepare a “blocking mechanism” to protect European countries against the extraterritorial effects of U.S. sanctions.

Rubio said the administration had postponed the action while waiting for the ICC and countries that joined its founding Rome Statute to address U.S. concerns. He said those efforts had not succeeded.

“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said. He urged U.S. allies that are members of the court, many of which depend on American service members for their defense, to curb its activities.

(With files from Reuters)

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Dr. Kamal Sido | Exclusive to iKurd.net
Middle East expert at the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV).

In early June 2026, as U.S. attacks against Iran were underway, U.S. President Trump—as always—sought a way out of the dilemma of how to end his war against Iran, which violated international law, and declared himself the victor.

For none of the promises he had made at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on February 28, 2026, had been fulfilled by this brutal war. Above all, the criminal Iranian regime was still in power. At the time, Trump spoke of regime change. To justify the disaster and his failure, Trump tried to shift the blame onto others, including the Kurds.

About 12 million Kurds live in Iran, accounting for about 10 to 15% of the 93 million Iranian population. Many in the U.S. and Israel assumed that an active role by the Kurds in Iran—especially their armed forces—could help the U.S. and Israel topple the regime in Iran.

In this context, comparisons were drawn with the Kurds’ struggle against Saddam Hussein in Iraq—who was overthrown in 2003 with the help of the Kurds—or with the fight against Assad and the “Islamic State” (IS) in Syria.

In Syria, the Kurds were supported against both ISIS and Assad until 2024, when that support was cut off. However, since the Kurds in Iraq and Syria have had bitter experiences with U.S. policy—they were always abandoned at the crucial moment and subjected to massacres by Iraq, Turkey, or Syria—the promised U.S. aid either failed to materialize or arrived too late.

For this reason, the Kurds in Iran did not want to react hastily and demanded guarantees from the U.S. that it was genuinely interested in regime change and democratization in Iran. The Kurds made their active role against the regime contingent on these guarantees. President Trump omitted all of this in his statement. He claims that the Kurds received weapons from the U.S. but kept them for themselves and did not use them against the regime in Tehran.

Did the Kurds steal U.S. weapons?

Trump stated verbatim: “We sent weapons to the Kurds. (…) The Kurds let us down. I didn’t agree with that decision. I said, ‘No, I don’t think they’ll pass them on. I think they kept them for themselves.’” “I think that’s a shame. But I’ll remember that, you Kurds, I’ll remember that.” (thenewregion.com, June 11, 2026).

It is well known that Trump repeatedly seizes on fake news to advance his political agenda or justify his failures. But his accusation that the Kurds had “stolen” the weapons was new. No one in either the U.S. or Israel could prove that the Kurds in Iran had received weapons from the U.S.

Rather, there were indications that the Trump administration had betrayed joint plans between the Kurds, Israel, and the U.S. to Turkish President Erdogan. The international press has reported on this extensively. (libnanews.com, June 7, 2026)

Whether or not the U.S. betrayed the plans is irrelevant here. In any case, there is no evidence to support Trump’s claim that the Kurds stole U.S. weapons.

Such spectacular statements from Trump are nothing new when it comes to the Kurds. In 2019, when Trump ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from parts of northern Syria that had been fighting alongside the Kurds against ISIS, thereby leaving the Kurds defenseless against attacks by both ISIS and Turkey, Trump attempted to justify his misguided decision—which had drawn widespread criticism in the U.S.—by claiming that the Kurds had provided no assistance to the U.S. during World War II. (The Guardian, October 9)

This claim by Trump was also false. Kurds were very actively involved in the fight against Nazi Germany in various countries. My father was among them. When Trump accused the Kurds of not having supported the U.S. in the war against Hitler’s Germany, I responded to his claim on social media.

In doing so, I jokingly pointed out my father’s involvement in World War II. Incidentally, Trump should have known that the Kurds did not have their own state back then—just as they do not today—and therefore could not actively participate in international affairs as a state actor.

My Father in World War II

How did my father come to be involved in this war? After World War I, the Middle East was divided between the French and the British. The Kurds in Syria—including those in Afrin in the northwest of the country—found themselves within a territory that was henceforth known as Syria. This area became a French colony. My father was born in 1916, right in the midst of World War I, when the secret partition of the Middle East between Great Britain and France took place. Born.

When World War II began in 1939, he was 23 years old. As a young man, he joined the Syrian units of the French Army stationed in Syria. From that point on, he was a member of the French military in Syria. When German troops occupied Paris and large parts of France on June 14, 1940, and the so-called Vichy government was formed in southern France, British troops marched into Syria from Iraq and Jordan in June and July to prevent Nazi Germany from using the territory of Syria controlled by Vichy France.

As a result, Syria effectively came under British rule, and the existing military units became part of the British military. Thus, from that point on, my father was also a British soldier. He later became a member of an auxiliary unit of the 8th British Army.

My Father and the Desert Fox

The British 8th Army was a legendary unit of the British Army during World War II. As a multinational and multiethnic Commonwealth force in North Africa, it played a decisive role in the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany. The story of my father (1916–2000) is well known throughout our village in Afrin. As a result, I was exposed to stories from World War II even as a child. In my father’s conversations and stories, terms like “Desert War,” “Desert Fox,” Erwin Rommel, Bernard Montgomery, and El Alamein came up time and again.

The term “Desert War” primarily refers to the war against the German Afrika Korps, led by General Erwin Rommel (1891–1944), in North Africa—specifically in what is now Egypt and Libya. German General Rommel became known as the “Desert Fox” because he repeatedly eluded the British and successfully held his own against British General Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976).

El Alamein is a town in Egypt where, in November 1942, a decisive battle of World War II took place between the German-Italian African Panzer Army under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the British 8th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery.

In November 1942, a decisive battle of World War II took place near El Alamein between the German-Italian Afrika Panzer Army under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the British 8th Army under the command of Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery.

When the British 8th Army, in which my father was fighting, was preparing its advance in Italy in the summer of 1943, the High Command gave the members of the auxiliary forces a choice: either they would continue on to Europe, or they would remain in North Africa and return to their home countries later. My father decided against continuing on to Sicily, Italy, Europe, and Germany.

And so it happened that in 1945 he missed the opportunity to come to Germany. It wasn’t until 1991 that he came to Germany—not as a British soldier, but to visit his son, whom he hadn’t seen in ten years and who had found refuge in Germany a year earlier. At the time, we were living in Marburg, where we happened to meet a member of the German Africa Corps who struck up a conversation with my father.

Kurds in the Red Army

The largest group of Kurds who actively participated in World War II came primarily from the former Soviet Union.

During World War II, thousands of Soviet Kurds, Muslims, and Yazidis—primarily from the republics of Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan—fought in the Red Army against Nazi Germany. Figures such as the Kurdish-Yazidi commander Samand Siabandov (1909–1989) were awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.”

Like many other ethnic groups, the Kurds also suffered under Stalin in the 1930s. Many of them, especially Muslim Kurds, were deported from their homeland in the South Caucasus to Central Asia, specifically to the republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. These Kurds, too, fought against Nazi Germany after Hitler’s invasion of the USSR and advanced as far as Berlin.

A number of publications have been written about the role of the Kurds in World War II. These are available not only in Russian but also in English. (kulturnistudia.cz/, 2-2023)

Trump should have known all of this before he spread his fake news. Politicians—especially those who play a major role in world politics—should also seek advice from experts, particularly when it comes to history and the past. After all: “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

Dr. Kamal Sido, a prominent Syrian Kurdish intellectual. He is a Middle East Consultant for ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities at the German Society for Threatened Peoples (STP).

The article was published in “Vielfalt,” the journal of the Society for Threatened Peoples, in German, in 2026, Issue 3.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.

Copyright © 2026 iKurd.net. All rights reserved.

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After the U.S. Withdrawal, the KRG Has No Option but to Maneuver Politically and Mollify the Ayatollahs

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The Iraqi Kurdish Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein’s statement, “It is the responsibility of the Iraqi government also to protect Kurdistan,” is a plea for protection from the Iraqi government as the region, according to the Kurdish leaders, has become vulnerable after the U.S. withdrawal.

Iran’s involvement in Kurdistan will indeed increase, which could also undermine the Kurds’ status and affect the stability and security of the region. Hussein’s statement reveals the weakness of the Kurdistan Region and its broken government, controlled by the two families of Barzani and Talabani.

In fact, Kurdistan has always been vulnerable, and unfortunately, the ongoing political conflict between the two major parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has been hindering the advancement of the political process.

The senior Kurdish leaders should have anticipated abandonment by the Americans, as had occurred in the past. However, they failed to connect the past with the present and draw a conclusion that could have helped them prepare for an undesirable outcome in the future.

The Kurdish leaders overlooked these critical links and forgot the catastrophic situations that have been caused by the U.S., and thus, these situations could be repeated.

In addition to the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS), which is the Kurds’ main concern, the Iranian-backed militias are also a threat, as they have conducted drone attacks on Kurdistan without regard for civilian lives.

These militias and groups are established and funded by the Islamic regime of Iran, and the Iraqi government, regardless of its authority, does not have the capability to disarm them.

The government hopes that the militias will willingly disarm and end the existing chaos in the country. However, it is a revolving door: Iran will continue its involvement in Iraq. In fact, the political conflicts in Iraq and Kurdistan and the weakness of the federal and regional governments leave Iraq as fertile ground for Islamic militias’ operations.

Two of the groups, Awfiya Allah and Sayyid Shuhada, agreed to be disarmed, according to Foreign Minister Hussein. It is noteworthy that a few other groups, such as Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali, have already agreed to the terms of disarming and restricting their weapons to the government.

However, this will not end the militias’ threat to Iraq’s stability. The Iranian Quds Force commander, Esmail Qaani, outlined the plan after the U.S. withdrawal when he stated, “The children of the resistance maintain a presence in one of the region’s most critical areas, Iraq… as they continue on their path.”

The Kurdish leaders are afraid of doomsday—the end of their power, which stands on a hollow foundation. Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani’s statement reveals the desperation.

“We in the Kurdistan Region will always be cooperative and supportive of every step that strengthens Iraq’s sovereignty, security, and stability,” Nechirvan stated.

The Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) has no option but to cooperate with the federal government, as the Peshmerga have no capability to withstand external pressures, while Kurdish division has also contributed to the fragility of the region.

In fact, the independence referendum of 2017, which was opposed by the international community, including Iraqi Arabs, and subsequently responded to militarily by the Iraqi government and Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization militias, revealed the inability of the Kurds to defend the region.

However, with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, the obstacles will be removed, and Iran’s influence will continue to increase. While the majority of Arab Shia are ideologically aligned with the Islamic regime of Iran, the Kurds generally have a bloody history with the Iranian regimes, including the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Kurdistan’s stability is measured by the demands of the Kurds, and such demands are factors contributing to tension in the region. The region’s hostilities against the Kurds are triggered by the Kurdish goals of self-determination.

It is noteworthy that Abu Alaa al-Walai of the Iran-backed militia Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada stated, “We assure our brothers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that their security and stability are an integral part of Iraq’s security and stability, and that any threat facing the region is a national concern for all Iraqis.”

However, how long will this brotherhood last? Do they call the Kurds brothers only to serve the interests of Iraqi Arabs and Muslim communities? Do the Muslim militias and groups believe in the same rights for the Kurds as for the Palestinians?

The security and stability of Iraq and Kurdistan depend on the interests of the Islamic regime of Iran, and the Iraqi militias are part of Iran’s strategy in Iraq. The militias’ positions in Iraq are clear. As he stated in the past, al-Walai said, “All Americans in Iraq will be hostages if a war breaks out between the U.S. and Iran. Because we will stand with Iran, period.”

Regardless of the small number of Iran-backed militias that have agreed with the Iraqi government on disarmament, they will always remain vital and fueled by Iran. Clearly, the U.S. withdrawal leaves a space for Iran and provides more opportunities to strengthen its proxies in Iraq and focus on a different strategy in post-U.S.-withdrawal Iraq.

Iran’s long-term strategy in expanding the Shii ideology has become even clearer as Commander Qaani said that they will continue their fight across the region and West Asia: “From Afghanistan to Yemen, and from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon,” Qaani stated.

Both Iraq and Kurdistan live at the mercy of Iran, as its influence is entrenched in the country, represents the Islamic Shii ideology, and is spiritually connected to Iraq’s majority Shia population. Ultimately, the stability of Kurdistan, which is tied to the stability of Iraq, is impossible as long as Iran and its proxies operate in Iraq.

However, while Kurdistan’s government is unable to eliminate the threat of Iran’s Islamic regime, it can only maneuver politically in the hope of mollifying the Ayatollahs’ outrages.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.

Copyright © 2026 iKurd.net. All rights reserved.

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Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The U.S and Masrour Barzani are on the list of infamy

The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and Kurdistan is indeed a concern for the Kurds and a threat to their status in the region. But it is not a surprise move from the U.S., as the Kurds have a dark history with American politicians as they have been abandoning them in the past.

The Kurds described themselves as the major U.S. ally, but the American politicians have a different perspective, except the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who consistently described the Kurds as the strongest ally, and in early 2026, he introduced “Save the Kurds Act” legislation to stop Syria’s Ahmad al-Sharaa’s army from further hostility against the Kurds in Syria.

Generally, the American political community does not perceive the Kurds as a permanent ally as the U.S. foreign policy has repeatedly created crises for the Kurds, and with the U.S. being inconsistent in supporting the Kurds, it is a bittersweet relationship between the two.

The U.S. strategy in the region no longer requires an alliance with the Kurds. President Donald Trump has turned away from the Kurds as he embraced the radical Muslim formed in the new Syrian President, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Trump has realized that the Kurds are not able to assist him in his strategy as he is focusing on controlling the oil paths and cracking down on Iran to eliminate its power and influence in the region.

As there is an ambiguity in the U.S-Iran negotiation, the situation overall serves the U.S. interests, regardless of the immense American tax dollars spent on the war. The Republican Party’s double standard has been revealed as they preach to stop the federal waste but are being silent on Trump’s spending!

Conversely, the Democratic Party is standing against Trump’s strategy and opposing the U.S-Iran conflict. But in fact, it is just another Democrat’s political hypocrisy to manipulate the voters as they aim at controlling the House and the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections in November.

Now, as the looming end of the U.S. withdrawal is becoming a reality, the Kurds again will be left for the mercy of the powerful countries’ region. The regional government of Kurdistan is paralyzed from defending the region as it is lacking unity, strong and moral leaders, and is not equipped with weapons to counter explosive drones.

“Now, to be left alone without any, let’s say, appropriate defensive system, it’s shameful.” Masrour Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, stated in an interview with the Financial Times.

It is unfortunate to see the weakness of the Kurdistan Government, which is indeed led by weak leaders.

Barzani is placing the blame on not being allowed to purchase adequate weapons required to use against the drones and missiles that are launched toward Kurdistan. “When we are prevented from purchasing adequate weapons that are needed against these incoming missiles and drones…we are deliberately becoming vulnerable, becoming weaker.”

The failure and the weakness of the regional government led by Barzani’s family can be traced back over three decades. The corruption and the political conflict between the Kurdish politicians, and the Barzani’s unwillingness to give the opportunities to the competent Kurdish figures in the region to enter and run the government contributed to its fragility.

Obviously, the U.S. focus is shifted away from the Kurds as President Trump has not been a solid supporter of the Kurds; instead, he rather embraces the powerful governments of the region, which are wider paths for the American interests. Apparently, the U.S. will not continue to support a weak government without return.

This is a common practice by the U.S, which is abandoning the weak ally regardless of the consequences. For example, the American politicians have realized that the Afghan Government led by Ashraf Ghani has reached its weakness and was incapable of serving the American interests. And thus, in 2021, the U.S. carried out a complete departure from Afghanistan.

And according to General Asadullah Kohistani, the U.S. military left Bagram Air Base without notifying the Afghans.

However, the U.S. foreign policy has turned its page over, and because the Kurds are not satisfying the Trump administration, therefore, the U.S. is defunding the Peshmerga. Barzani is pathetically pleading for support, “We are allies of the United States, and we are proud allies of the United States.” Barzani stated.

As he is realizing that without the U.S., not only his lavish lifestyle, the entire region will suffer severe damage. The Barzani’s family is totally guilty, and seemingly the Trump administration disregards the role of Barzani and the Kurdish leaders of the Kurdistan region.

In fact, in January 2026, Trump expressed his disappointment at the Kurdish leaders as they allegedly kept the U.S. weapons that were sent to the Kurdish opposition groups in Iran.

“I disagreed with the decision. I was saying ‘no, I don’t believe they’ll deliver them. I think they kept them for themselves. I think it’s a disgrace. But I’ll remember that, Kurds. I’ll remember that.” President Trump stated.

The U.S. negotiated the withdrawal with Iraq as the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in an interview, told the reporters that with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, discussed the timeline, and the U.S. will not extend its presence in Iraq. Apparently, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, has gained popularity in the Trump’s administration as Trump described him as a “fantastic man.”

The U.S. State Department believes that the Iraqi forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga have proven “increased capabilities.”

In fact, neither the Iraqi military nor the Peshmerga has the capabilities to stand against the adversaries. The Kurdish leaders, including Barzani, are afraid of waking up from their sweet dreams and seeing the nightmares, which are losing the power and the wealth that they have built off of Kurdistan’s natural resources and revenues.

As the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Barzani is the example of the failure, strategically, politically, and, of course, militarily. In fact, Barzani is correct: it is shameful for the U.S. to leave the Kurds alone, but it is even more shameful for him to hold substantial balances in his foreign bank accounts.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.

Copyright © 2026 iKurd.net. All rights reserved.

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Adham Barzani “We Celebrate the End of Occupation,”

SULAIMANI,— Iraqi Kurdish politician Adham Barzani said the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region marks the end of what he called an occupation, and he described the moment as one worth celebrating.

In a statement, Barzani said he thanks U.S. troops for their role in the country but added that they should have left Iraqi soil much earlier. “This is one of the good news, and we see the end of the occupation of the country as a celebration,” he said.

Barzani said the United States launched a large-scale and widespread attack on Iraqi territory in 2003 to change the Ba’ath regime led by Saddam Hussein.

He said that action deserved much appreciation, and everyone appreciated the U.S. at the time for removing a great dictator from power. However, he said Washington needed to leave Iraq as soon as possible after Saddam Hussein was removed.

Instead, Barzani said, U.S. forces have remained in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for 23 years. He said the United States presented itself and its attack on Iraq as an occupation and as an occupier, and appointed Paul Bremer to rule the country during that period.

Barzani said the decision to withdraw troops from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region now, after all these years, is one of the happy pieces of news.

He said the departure means the country is regaining its sovereignty and being freed from occupation. He called for celebrations of freedom from Basra to Zakho.

Barzani added that he hopes no other place in the Kurdistan Region, “not even a single inch” of the country’s land, remains under the control of any occupier.

He said he hopes the region’s people, together with all the other peoples of the Middle East, can live on their land in the greatest peace and security.

Adham Barzani is a Kurdish politician and a former member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the Kurdistan Region.

He began his political career in 1988 when he founded the Kurdistan Revolutionary Hezbollah. Like other Iraqi Kurdish parties at the time, the group received funding from Iran to oppose Saddam Hussein.

Unlike most Kurdish groups, which were secular, the party followed an Islamist ideology.

The group became inactive after 2004. Barzani then joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party alongside other members of his family.

Tensions between Barzani and the KDP began in 2011 after he said Massoud Barzani needed to make reforms to maintain his credibility.

In 2014, he left the KDP and resigned from his government positions. In March 2015, he said he wanted to form a new political movement, after criticizing Massoud Barzani and the KDP.

He also criticized close relations between the KDP and Turkey and opposed the presence of Turkish troops in Iraqi Kurdistan. He repeatedly called on the KDP to release detained activists and journalists in the region.

In May 2021, Barzani sent a letter to Hamas leaders expressing support for the group in its conflict with Israel.

He also had contacts with Hüseyin Velioğlu. In 1999, he hosted Velioğlu in the Iraqi city of Soran, where about 300 Kurdish Hezbollah fighters were trained to act against Turkey.

In June 2019, he met with İshak Sağlam of the Free Cause Party.

The Kurdistan Regional Government later banned Barzani from entering Erbil. In July 2024, the Erbil Security Directorate, part of the KDP-led government, issued an arrest warrant for him.

(With files from Agencies | wikipedia)

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BAGHDAD,— U.S. troops concluded their mission in Iraq on Wednesday, withdrawing from their final military bases in a nation where more than 4,500 American service members died over two decades of conflict.

Iran and its allies are calling the exit a triumph.

Iraqi security analysts say the pullout, agreed upon in 2024 under President Joe Biden and executed by Donald Trump’s administration even while Washington wages war against Iran, could hand Tehran and its allied militias greater freedom of action.

Analysts also warn the move may open the door for other U.S. adversaries, including Islamic State, to regain strength.

Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst who studies Iran-aligned Shi’ite armed groups, said Iran is positioned to gain strategically because the coalition’s exit removes a military presence that had long balanced Tehran’s sway in Iraq.

He said pro-Iranian militias will likely present the withdrawal as their own victory and attempt to convert that momentum into stronger influence over Iraq’s security and political decisions.

Abu Mojtaba al-Yasiri, a commander with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iran-backed armed factions, called the U.S. departure a historic win for Iraqi resistance groups and a major defeat for what he described as the American project.

He told Reuters that September 30 will mark the end of a dark chapter and proof that Iraq’s sovereignty depends on resistance and the will of its people, not foreign troops.

Although the withdrawal is widely supported among Iraqis, some worry it is happening too soon.

Abdulrahman al-Zobaie, a Sunni tribal leader in Fallujah, once a center of anti-American resistance, told Reuters that Iraq is not yet fully prepared to manage its own security.

He said all Iraqis want full sovereignty, but fear the coalition’s exit could leave a dangerous security vacuum.

U.S. troops first entered Iraq in 2003 to remove dictator Saddam Hussein, then occupied the country, backed a new Shi’ite-led government and battled an insurgency for years before leaving in 2011.

They returned less than three years later to help Iraqi forces fight Islamic State during a war that lasted from 2014 to 2017.

Roughly twice as many American troops died during the Iraq war as in the simultaneous conflict in Afghanistan, which ended with a rapid U.S. withdrawal in 2021.

In recent years, Iraq has remained the only nation with close political and military ties to both Washington and Tehran, and its territory has sometimes served as a battleground for the rivals.

The U.S. killed senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a 2020 strike near Baghdad’s airport. Iranian-backed forces have repeatedly attacked American bases, at times triggering retaliation.

During this year’s conflict with Iran, seven of the 18 American troops killed were stationed in Iraq. The most recent death was an Army sergeant who died in July during a controlled drone detonation near Erbil.

Iran, which says its goal is to push American forces out of the entire Middle East, describes the Iraq withdrawal as a victory for its network of allied armed groups across the region.

Amir Hayat Moqaddam, deputy chairman of the National Security Commission in Iran’s parliament, said Monday that lasting security will come to Iraq once American troops leave the country and the broader region.

He told Iran’s parliamentary news agency that Tehran supports the withdrawal and that resistance groups continue to confront American forces.

Washington has accused Iran-backed militias in Iraq of contributing to regional conflict by striking neighboring countries under Tehran’s direction, including a recent attack on a major Saudi oil pipeline.

Baghdad’s government says it is working to limit the militias’ influence.

Some Iraqi officials, including those in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, warn the withdrawal could also revive Islamic State, which once controlled a third of Iraq and killed thousands, including captives filmed being executed at a former U.S. base.

Kurdish commander Sirwan Barzani said the loss of American intelligence, logistics and drone support could allow the group to regroup.

He said Islamic State sleeper cells have shown increased activity in recent weeks, boosting fighter morale after the withdrawal was announced.

While others, like Kurdish politician Adham Barzani, viewed the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region as the close of what he called an occupation, an outcome he said should be celebrated.

Iraqi security officials said a suspected Islamic State cell was planning suicide attacks timed to the pullout.

Four officials said the plot shows the group still poses a threat despite years of losses. Col. Khalid al-Bayati, a senior security official in Kirkuk, said Islamic State wants to prove it remains capable of deadly attacks.

(With files from Reuters)

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WASHINGTON,— U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States already has measures for overseeing artificial intelligence companies and prosecuting them, pushing back against warnings from executives about the potential for AI to cause harm.

The public debate has intensified after Jacob Coxon, a researcher at Anthropic, said last week that he had resigned partly because people developing AI genuinely believe the technology could kill everyone by the end of the decade.

Shares tied to AI declined worldwide Monday after executives from leading companies urged a slower approach to development.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that AI did not need additional controls beyond a strong and smart president, saying the United States had one.

He also publicly argued that questioning AI development would benefit China. Trump is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in Washington.

Reuters had previously reported that the United States and China were planning another meeting in mid-September on AI risks, with lower-level officials to lead the discussions.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that Trump was expected to meet AI executives either this week or early next week.

Johnson said the discussion would examine the companies’ responsibility for safety and whether the government should have a role.

Vice President JD Vance also expressed doubts about calls from AI executives for government regulation.

He said he found it unusual that leading AI companies were approaching the government and asking it to regulate their industry.

Trump described the industry’s demand for regulation as a “hoax” online.

AMODEI’S ESSAY

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for government action in an essay published Saturday. He said Washington should require independent audits of the most advanced AI systems, referred to as “frontier” models.

Reuters reported Monday that three U.S. senators were developing legislation that would require AI companies to show they were taking reasonable precautions to prevent their systems from causing harm. The details of the measure remained under discussion.

Amodei’s essay presented a three-part framework that he said would reduce the speed of AI development and give more time to address risks.

Executives from major AI companies supported the proposal, including Elon Musk, who runs xAI, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat and technology legislation leader, discussed AI safety with Amodei and Altman over the weekend, his spokesperson said.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang addressed the safety debate Monday at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles. Huang said companies could choose voluntarily to pause or slow their development if they believed their operations were becoming uncontrolled.

During the event, Huang received a call from Trump and placed it on speaker. The call lasted about five minutes. Trump said data centers create wealth for people and states and described them as “the oil of the next 20, 25 years.”

Trump said people opposing AI development were helping those who wanted to stop it, including political figures and China. He said the United States would not allow that, and Huang agreed.

Trump has continued to resist concerns about AI while largely embracing technology companies during his second term. He said safety tools had already been used on Amodei’s Anthropic, but did not explain what he meant.

Trump later wrote that his administration had prevented AI “people” from doing bad or potentially bad things, referring to Dario and Anthropic, and said the administration would continue doing so.

Anthropic’s media team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters about Trump’s statement.

The Trump administration and Anthropic are also in a dispute over AI safety and battlefield use. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked Anthropic from certain military contracts after the company refused to permit the U.S. government to use its Claude AI models for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons.

Anthropic filed a lawsuit in a California court. A U.S. judge ruled in the company’s favor in one lawsuit on Aug. 27.

(With files from Reuters)

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Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The lack of transparency in U.S. foreign policy has always caused confusion and disasters, which indeed distracts the world and creates a vacuum and opens a gate for American politicians to push their agenda into targeted countries.

Obviously, preaching “democracy” has become an effective tool used by American politicians among oppressed people across the world.

Apparently, the deeper one looks into what the U.S. is preaching, the more shocking it can be to see how American politicians are misleading and misinforming people, including Americans. The U.S. defines democracy differently from its universal definition.

When the beauty of democracy centers the argument in U.S. foreign policy and begins to be exported to the world, a hideous purpose can be expected to be hidden behind it. The capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by U.S. military forces in January 2026, and his being charged with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and weapons offenses, also had other reasons hidden behind such offenses that led to his capture.

In fact, Venezuela has the largest crude oil reserves in the world. According to the Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP), Venezuela holds approximately 303 billion barrels of crude oil in its reserves. It was not a surprise when President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces in a secret operation to capture Venezuela’s Maduro.

Ending Maduro’s reign as a result of President Trump’s executive order was indeed a historic moment and a relief for Venezuelans. But obviously, the main reason was neither the freedom of Venezuelans nor Maduro’s actions per se. The U.S. focus on Venezuelan oil, which required bringing the regime to its knees, generated the military operation to capture Maduro.

The U.S. oil deal with Venezuela, as President Trump announced it on Friday, is revealing the hidden purpose behind the U.S. military operation in the country and ending Maduro’s era, which is opening the path for the U.S. to reach the country’s rich oil reserves. This deal would entitle the U.S. to 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, or 20% of its oil reserves.

The Trump administration claims that the oil deal is not a political process and that the interim Venezuelan government was not involved in the agreement, as, according to the White House, it was made with a private oil company.

However, the Venezuelan authorities were part of the agreement. Apparently, the U.S. recognizes the Venezuelan interim government only for such an important oil deal, which is one of the many U.S. plans to control major oil resources in the world.

Furthermore, with the deal signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the U.S. is aiming to boost weapons production, as it has been facing shortages that have become a concern, while President Trump denies such a claim. “For the treasonous SCUM that refuses to accurately report on our Military Operation in Iran, we have virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition, …” President Trump posted on Truth Social.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the plan to boost defense industrial production began under the Biden administration in 2022 and is now being conducted with the direct involvement of the Department of War in the U.S.-Venezuela oil deal.

President Trump, regarding the oil deal, also posted that it “…is a Gift from Venezuela to the people of the United States.” This is another hoax of President Trump as he places the American people in the front of the picture while he hides his goals behind them. This oil deal can damage the U.S. reputation in the world and break trust among its allies.

The Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, opposed the agreement between the Venezuelan interim government and the U.S., and she believes that Venezuelan oil does not belong to the illegitimate government. “The wealth of our subsoil does not belong to an illegitimate regime – it belongs to the Venezuelan people,” Machado said.

Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after Maduro and was supported by President Trump, was involved in the oil deal with the U.S. Concern and criticism have been raised about the deal that was signed between the Trump administration and Rodríguez, an unelected interim president who was a member of Maduro’s former regime.

“Enemies of the U.S.,” Machado said regarding the officials who were in Maduro’s regime, as she expressed her concern that the Trump administration would not be in favor of a presidential election soon in the country. Apparently, President Trump is not pushing for an election. “You had a very powerful, very nasty dictatorship in Venezuela – and they’re just not going to be ready for it yet,” Trump said.

Also, as the U.S.-Iran war is continuing, the Trump administration’s credibility is declining while the president and his cabinet members are blatantly misinforming the public about such a war and its impact on the Islamic regime of Iran. Trump’s “America First” was indeed one of the tactics that Trump used throughout his campaign until now, but obviously, many Americans see the opposite of such rhetoric.

And now, President Trump is describing the U.S. oil deal with Venezuela as a “Gift …to the people of the United States.” Such a statement is misinformation from President Trump to the American people, and while the U.S. brings revenue from such a deal, the American people remain under financial strain.

However, President Trump is only conducting a strategy that implements one of the U.S.’s unchanging policies, which is controlling the most strategic regions that are major sources of oil. The U.S. is structuring its relationship with oil-producing countries based on the level of imports and the benefits that it receives from them.

In capturing Maduro, President Trump hit two targets: controlling Venezuela’s oil as a long-term plan that could bring a significant amount of revenue to the U.S. and securing the Western Hemisphere to prevent the region from becoming a base of operations for major nations, such as China and Russia.

“This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live — and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries,…” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in January 2026.

For the U.S., oil is the main natural resource on which it depends, and if such a resource runs out, it could bring the entire system to collapse. President Trump links national and global security to oil supplies in the world as he undertakes plans to secure oil sources either through military operations or business agreements.

Speaking of Venezuela’s oil, Trump said, “We’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.” This clear message should be a lesson not only for the Venezuelan people but also for those who seek democracy across the world, as they must realize that President Trump is not the savior.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.

Copyright © 2026 iKurd.net. All rights reserved.

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