{"id":2538143,"date":"2026-01-15T17:10:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T22:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kurds-plea-for-help-toppling-iran-regime-as-trump-steps-away\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T17:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T22:13:11","slug":"kurds-plea-for-help-toppling-iran-regime-as-trump-steps-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kurds-plea-for-help-toppling-iran-regime-as-trump-steps-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Kurds plea for help toppling Iran regime as Trump steps away"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkurds-plea-for-help-toppling-iran-regime-as-trump-steps-away%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2538143&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Exiled Iranian Kurds are urging swift international &#8211; especially U.S. &#8211; support to help topple Iran&#8217;s theocratic regime, saying domestic uprisings cannot succeed without thorough and sustained outside aid. Kurdish Peshmerga groups like the Kurdistan Freedom party (PAK) and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan warn Tehran is deploying thousands more troops and that elements of the IRGC have even been arrested for refusing to fire on protesters. Leaders say protests have spread nationwide, possibly drawing millions, despite internet shutdowns; Elon Musk&#8217;s free Starlink access has been critical in keeping communications alive, though authorities are targeting users. Reported death tolls range widely, with fears of at least 12,000 and possibly up to 20,000 killed. Some Kurdish commanders hoped for U.S. strikes to blunt the regime&#8217;s repression, but Washington-facing pressure from Israel and Arab states and questioning the effectiveness of strikes-has stepped back from immediate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-flack-for-gop-russia-stooge-finds-redemption-as-lincoln-project-damage-control-adviser\/\" title=\"Former Flack for GOP Russia Stooge Finds Redemption as Lincoln Project Damage Control Adviser\">military intervention<\/a>; the White House says it has imposed sanctions and warned Iran that &#8220;all options remain on the table.&#8221; Kurdish exiles emphasize that,while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-ben-jerrys-board-chair-anti-israel-activist-has-published-defenses-of-hezbollah-hamas\/\" title=\"Meet Ben &amp; Jerry\u2019s Board Chair: Anti-Israel Activist Has Published Defenses of Hezbollah, Hamas\">opposition forces<\/a> are trained and ready,they cannot remove the regime without external military and political support.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Kurds plea for US help toppling Iran regime as Trump steps back from intervention<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2474361\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\">Iranian<\/a> ethnic minorities exiled abroad are warning that efforts to overthrow the country&rsquo;s theocratic <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/islam\/\">Islamic<\/a> regime will falter without swift international support, particularly from the United States. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need help. The uprising and our people&rsquo;s resistance cannot continue without comprehensive and sustained support,&rdquo; Khalil Kani Sanani, the spokesman for the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/middle-east\/iran-news\/article-883519\">told the<\/a> <em>Jerusalem Post <\/em>Thursday. PAK is a Kurdish Peshmerga group operating in the mountainous regions of Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4420533\/gulf-states-turkey-warn-trump-striking-iran-could-destabilize-entire-region\/\">Gulf States, Turkey warn Trump striking Iran could destabilize entire region<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4420583\/israel-award-charlie-kirk-fighting-antisemitism\/\">Israel to award Charlie Kirk for fighting antisemitism<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4419898\/us-seizes-venezuelan-oil-tanker-veronica-relations-improve-president-delcy-rodriguez\/\">US seizes Venezuelan oil tanker as relations improve with new president<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4362111\/despite-strong-gdp-numbers-several-economic-alarm-bells-ringing-gop\/\"><strong>DESPITE STRONG GDP NUMBERS, SEVERAL ECONOMIC ALARM BELLS ARE RINGING FOR GOP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sanani said the Iranian government is currently gearing up&nbsp;&ldquo;thousands&rdquo; more troops to shut down the uprising, and has arrested members of its own Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who have refused to shoot protesters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan is also operating in neighboring Iraq after being banned by Iran&rsquo;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Commander Sayran Gargoli <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/iran-protests-trump-kurdish-opposition-says-not-time-to-fight-regime-yet\/\">told CBS News <\/a>that protestors have a chance at toppling the country&rsquo;s regime, but only &ldquo;if the people who are demonstrating on the street get international help.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The pleas for global support come as the United States faces pressure <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/15\/trump-iran-strikes-israel-concern\">from Israel<\/a> and other Arab nations not to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ted-cruz-rebukes-lindsey-graham-exceptionally-bad-idea-to-assassinate-vladimir-putin\/\" title=\"Ted Cruz Rebukes Lindsey Graham: &#039;Exceptionally Bad Idea&#039; to Assassinate Vladimir Putin\">provide military aid<\/a> to protestors, due to fears of retaliation and broader regional conflict, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-iran-israel-us.html\">according to<\/a> the <em>New York Times <\/em>and other outlets. President Donald Trump has also been told that launching strikes now would be unlikely to result in successful regime change, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/ttrump-iran-military-resources-0ddf8de9?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqd8-FptacdFFuN_8pQBfemOkqPbwujUGWiY_4LKnVTU7oGezWcSVrgjFLTgXXo%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69695a37&amp;gaa_sig=IMZ88utC3PBAqLwREMQ78tJxpko72TFGfLZRH2_J-HKw_ZMGNb3Hhm6OSW4Nq2XZghFF0bFPyVhaODVbkGL4rg%3D%3D\">according to<\/a> the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>. The president appeared to publicly appeared to back off on previous suggestions he would authorize strikes against Tehran when he said Wednesday <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4419962\/trump-new-sanctions-iran-officials-deadly-crackdown-protesters\/\">Iran told him<\/a> it would not execute demonstrators. At least 12,000 targeted by the Ayatollah&rsquo;s government for protesting are feared dead. That number could be as high <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/amp\/news\/iran-protest-death-toll-over-12000-feared-higher-video-bodies-at-morgue\/\">as 20,000<\/a>, according to CBS News. <\/p>\n<p>Sanani, the Kurdish PAK spokesman, said he &ldquo;believes the regime in Tehran will not refrain from killing people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We at PAK are fighting them with fire and heroism. But we cannot do it alone. We need outside help. We need the US and Israel to help us,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The situation in Iran is catastrophic&hellip; IRGC ground forces have been deployed.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3444699\/timeline-increasing-incidents-political-violence-in-the-us\/\">POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The country has shut off the internet to thwart demonstrations, making it difficult to estimate numbers protesting, though it could be in the millions, as the uprisings have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/jan\/10\/iran-protesters-tell-of-brutal-police-response-deaths-and-forced-confessions\">broken out<\/a> nationwide. Videos circulating on social media appear to depict <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DTX0OjyjGi6\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\">hundreds of thousands<\/a> gathered in the streets. Elon Musk has given free Starlink internet access to the country, a &ldquo;crucial&rdquo; donation that has been a game-changer in enabling the demonstrations to survive as long as they have, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Technology\/wireStory\/free-starlink-access-iran-game-changer-demonstrators-message-129198149\">Iranians told <\/a>ABC News. Soldiers are <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4417534\/iran-hunting-starlink-users-elon-musk-providing-internet-protesters\/\">going door to door<\/a> targeting civilians using Musk&rsquo;s Starlinks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>PPDKI leader Mustafa Hijri hoped for a U.S. intervention, with strikes on Iran that &ldquo;hit the centers of suppressing forces who are shooting people on the streets.&rdquo;&nbsp;In the absence of such help from abroad, sending Kurdish PDKI forces across the Iraq border to support Iranian protesters now, he suggested, would only invite more widespread killing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The majority of the people in Iran are unhappy with this regime, and they stand against it,&rdquo; Hijri said, adding that the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >opposition fighters exiled<\/a> to Iraq &ldquo;have been trained, and they are there, ready for when the party needs them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Kurds are one of the world&rsquo;s largest stateless ethnic groups, with ancestral roots in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and other Middle Eastern countries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hijri is one of many Iranian Kurds living in exile due to political oppression. Others have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rudaw.net\/english\/middleeast\/iran\/05032015\">been executed <\/a>by the Ayatollah&rsquo;s government, while the broader Kurdish diaspora is estimated to be around 2 million.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump initially indicated he was sending military support to aid Iranian Kurds and others protesting the Ayatollah if they were being executed, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/115824439366264186\">saying<\/a> &ldquo;we are locked and loaded and ready to go,&rdquo; on New Year&rsquo;s Day.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4419962\/trump-new-sanctions-iran-officials-deadly-crackdown-protesters\/\">TRUMP ORDERS NEW SANCTIONS ON IRANIAN OFFICIALS COORDINATING DEADLY CRACKDOWN ON PROTESTORS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But the president appeared to pull back&nbsp;Wednesday when he said he was informed the killing of protesters in Iran, including Erfan Soltani, &ldquo;is stopping.&rdquo; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Thursday that 800 planned executions had been postponed due to pressure from Trump.<\/p>\n<p>She said Trump had made it clear to Iran that &ldquo;if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences,&rdquo; adding that &ldquo;all options remain on the table.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Exiled Kurds ask US help to topple Iran<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2538144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP071027014464.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[3823,46280,49699,3634],"class_list":["post-2538143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-iran","tag-kurds","tag-regime-change","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP071027014464.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2538143"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2538147,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538143\/revisions\/2538147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2538144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2538143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2538143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2538143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}