Iranian authorities are facing new security concerns after two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed and two others critically wounded in an armed attack in the Kurdish town of Paveh on 29 June. Responsibility was claimed by Khori Hiwa, a previously unknown armed group whose emergence has prompted questions about internal stability in Iran following the recent US-Israeli war.
According to the IRGC’s Nabi Akram Headquarters, the attack killed Khaled Khaledinia and Borhan Karisani. Shortly after the incident, Khori Hiwa claimed responsibility through social media. Publicly available information about the group remains limited, with details about its leadership, membership and operational capabilities largely based on statements published via an Instagram account attributed to the organisation.
In its statements, Khori Hiwa describes itself as an armed movement opposing the Islamic Republic and says its goals include raising political awareness, strengthening Kurdish national identity and exposing what it calls state repression. The group also claims that the targeted IRGC personnel were involved in the 2022 crackdown on Kurdish protesters during the Woman, Life, Freedom demonstrations. Iranian authorities had not publicly responded to those allegations at the time of writing.
Khori Hiwa has expressed support for the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) but has not acknowledged any formal ties to it or other established Kurdish opposition groups. Organisations including the PKK, PDKI and Komala have also not confirmed any connection, leaving the group’s affiliations and capabilities unclear.
The attack comes amid increased armed incidents in Iran’s Kurdish regions and heightened tensions between Tehran and Kurdish opposition groups operating near the Iraqi border. Iran has continued to pressure Iraq to enforce a 2023 security agreement aimed at restricting Kurdish militant activity, while several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups recently formed a new political coalition.
If Khori Hiwa develops beyond an isolated armed group, its emergence could add to Iran’s security challenges by creating a more fragmented and locally driven militant landscape that may be harder for authorities to monitor and contain. The group is believed to have been formed by disgruntled activists from older Kurdish opposition organisations, which some supporters increasingly view as inactive. At the start of the recent war, the United States allegedly offered support to the main Kurdish groups and encouraged them to intervene in Iran, but they reportedly declined, citing the lack of guarantees of long-term backing and air cover. If such dynamics persist, Tehran could face a more complex and less predictable security environment in its Kurdish regions.
