An Iranian journalist and communications official urged caution to Israeli and Western policymakers against supporting transnational separatist groups within Iran, emphasizing the importance of maintaining ties with the broader Iranian population. In a recent commentary, she warned that engaging with marginal armed factions risks alienating the majority of Iranians who identify with a unified national identity.

The commentator highlighted the long-standing civilizational unity of Iran by referencing ancient landmarks in Kermanshah province, arguing these sites symbolize over 2,500 years of continuous Iranian sovereignty and territorial integrity. She asserted that Western narratives often conflate ordinary Iranian citizens with separatist groups seeking to fragment the country, a distinction she deemed crucial.

Contrary to portrayals that depict western provinces such as Kermanshah and Ilam as dominated by separatist ambitions, the writer insisted these areas are strongholds of Iranian nationalism. She noted that the local Kurdish cultural identity is historically intertwined with Iranian patriotism rather than opposition to the state. Moreover, she criticized attempts to isolate regional suffering under the Iranian regime as unique, pointing out that state repression and executions occur throughout the country, citing recent executions of protesters from Isfahan.

The author also called out critics for ignoring the violent legacy of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its leader Abdullah Ocalan, emphasizing their anti-Israel stance and historical ties to hostile regional actors, including the Assad regime and armed Palestinian factions. She argued that some separatist groups in Iran have direct connections to the PKK, challenging narratives that portray these movements as benign or purely democratic.

Addressing historical context, she revisited the 1979 Iranian Revolution, highlighting the role of armed regional factions in the upheaval and subsequent violence. She recounted how shortly after the fall of the previous regime, factions including Kurdish groups launched attacks on military installations, seizing arms and attempting to expand their control. She questioned international standards by comparing these actions to hypothetical scenarios involving Israel's national defense forces.

Further, the writer recalled the Paveh uprising in August 1979, where local populations resisted separatist incursions, underscoring grassroots opposition to fragmentation efforts. She argued that history reveals the Iranian people themselves have often been the first to defend national unity against armed separatism.

In conclusion, she warned that external support for armed minority factions risks undermining the longstanding civilizational bond shared by the majority of Iranians, ultimately harming prospects for a democratic and unified Iran. She advocated for a future Iranian state grounded in territorial integrity, national cohesion, individual freedoms, and legal equality. The author serves as communications director to Prince Reza Pahlavi and has a background as editor-in-chief at a UK-based Persian-language television network.