Experts: Fomenting ethnic strife in Iran 'a recipe for death and destruction'
USA TODAY
As the US and Israel continue to attack Iran, experts debate wisdom of relying on ethnic divisions for change.
As the U.S. and Israel continue to batter Iran with bombs and missiles, recent reports suggest Iranian Kurdish militias at the Iran-Iraq border may be readying for an attack on Iranian security forces in potential support of a popular uprising that President Donald Trump has expressed hope for.
While the Trump administration has denied any direct involvement in such efforts, the president called such a scenario “wonderful” and told Reuters he would “be all for it.”
The situation highlights the role Iran’s ethnic dynamics could play in shaping the nation’s future as the war develops, though some say ethnic conflict could prove calamitous. More than 1,000 people have been killed, including six U.S. servicemembers, since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran has long been a multiethnic, pluralistic society consisting of Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Arabs and other groups. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's Supreme Leader killed in the Feb. 28 attacks, was Azeri, while Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian is half-Azeri, half-Kurdish.
As a result, stoking ethnic divisions could prove a dangerous tactic, said Alex Shams, editor in chief of Ajam Media Collective, a platform devoted to Iranian culture, society and politics.
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