ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) official on Sunday accused those linking the group’s disarmament and integration to Turkey’s peace process of seeking to “sabotage” the efforts, saying the group will not consider integration until Tehran “changes or democratizes.”

“Those who want to sabotage the peace process in Northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey) and Turkey are bringing PJAK into question,” the Iranian Kurdish opposition group’s press spokesperson Gelawej Ewrin said in an interview with pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya Agency.

Turkey views PJAK as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), despite the group’s stated political independence. Ankara has repeatedly called for the dissolution of PKK-affiliated and aligned groups across the region.

On August 10, the Turkish parliament voted to adopt a historic bill that outlines the legal framework for its peace process with PKK, marking a substantial step forward in ending the decades-long conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives. The bill aims to facilitate the reintegration of former PKK fighters into society.

Ewrin said there are currently no grounds for democratic integration in Iran. “Iran must change; integration is not the first step. We don't have such an agenda right now. Unless this tyrannical regime changes or democratizes, we cannot talk about any political progress.”

Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler said during a press conference in March that Ankara is closely following PJAK’s actions, claiming the group poses a negative impact “not only Iran's security but ⁠also the overall peace and stability of the region.”

In late January, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that the "complete neutralization of PJAK constitutes an urgent necessity for Iran’s security," according to Turkish officials.

Since early June, repeated clashes have erupted between the opposition group and the Islamic republic’s forces in Rojhelat (Western Iran), leading to casualties on both sides on several occasions.

The dissident group is one of the members of a new coalition of Kurdish opposition forces formed in February that has vowed to topple the Islamic Republic.

Tehran designates the Iranian opposition groups as "terrorists" and has frequently carried out cross-border attacks against them. The groups, which seek greater rights for Iran’s marginalized Kurdish population, have fought an on-and-off conflict with the Islamic Republic for decades.