Türkiye has said it is “closely monitoring” the movements of the so-called Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) following U.S. calls for local Kurdish militias to join the ongoing regional conflict against Iran.
Based in the mountains of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, PJAK is the Iranian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara - along with Brussels and Washington - regards as a terrorist group.
At a Thursday press briefing, a spokesman for the Turkish defence ministry reaffirmed Ankara’s respect for the territorial integrity of neighbouring states.
“The activities of structures that fuel ethnic separatism, such as the terrorist organisation PJAK, negatively affect not only the security of Iran but also the broader peace and stability of the region,” he said.
The spokesman added that the defence ministry was “closely monitoring” PJAK’s movements in coordination with other Turkish state agencies.
According to sources cited by Reuters, Kurdish separatist groups are in consultation with Washington about whether - and how - to attack Iranian security forces deployed in western Iran.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would support an armed offensive against Iran by Kurdish groups operating in the region.
“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that,” he said. “I’d be all for it.”
On the same day, Iran’s intelligence ministry said Iranian forces had inflicted “heavy losses” on Iraq-based “separatist groups” seeking to breach Iran’s western border.
The ministry added that security forces were cooperating with pro-government Iranian Kurds to thwart what it described as an “Israeli-American” plan to carry out attacks on Iranian territory.
Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency, meanwhile, denied reports that armed Kurdish groups had succeeded in crossing the border from northern Iraq.
Over the past three days, several militant camps in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region have been struck by Iranian missiles and drones, according to local security sources and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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The Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026 concluded with renewed focus on regional stability, connectivity and diplomacy amid deepening global uncertainty.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum could evolve into a UN-style regional platform, bringing together diverse international actors, a political analyst has said.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
A gunfight with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district left at least one attacker dead and two others injured, according to Turkish authorities, prompting a major police response on Tuesday (7 April).
Donald Trump has said the U.S. will resume bombing Iran if Tehran doesn't "behave," at the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. Earlier, the U.S. President criticised Israel for its tactics against Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to tackle militants.
U.S. President Donald Trump sought a deal with Iran "out of deperation," Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said, in a statement on social media. Khamenei added that he himself "held a different view," to Trump, but allowed the agreement after receiving assurances from Iran's President.
Britain has announced an additional £8 million ($11 million) to help Pakistan combat illegal migration, human trafficking and organised crime, while praising Islamabad's role in diplomacy that helped secure the recent U.S.-Iran agreement.
Caleb Yirenkyi’s stoppage-time goal secured a 1-0 win for Ghana over Panama as World Cup action delivered a mix of late drama and key results. Colombia and England also began their campaigns with victories, while DR Congo held Portugal in a historic 1-1 draw and Austria beat Jordan 3-1.
The European Commission has announced €493 million in emergency support for the Ebola response, including funding for vaccines, treatment and health security measures.
Planned U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland on Friday will no longer take place after Vice President JD Vance withdrew from a scheduled trip to meet Iranian negotiators, Swiss authorities said.
The European Parliament has adopted one of its strongest resolutions on Georgia to date, calling for the release of political prisoners, backing sanctions against senior officials and warning that continued democratic decline could jeopardise the country's EU ambitions and visa-free travel regime.
The Caspian Sea has retreated by up to 35 kilometres along Kazakhstan's coastline since 2006, raising fresh concerns about the future of the world's largest inland body of water and the communities, industries and ecosystems that depend on it.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has remotely signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the U.S., brokered by Pakistan, under which Tehran and Washington agreed to extend their ceasefire and begin negotiations towards a peace agreement.
Kazakhstan and Iran have agreed to accelerate cooperation on transport corridors, giving Kazakhstan access to key Iranian ports in a move aimed at strengthening trade routes and reducing reliance on transit routes through neighbouring countries.
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