Piranshahr
Kurdish-majority town in West Azerbaijan province, Iran, near Iraq border; arrest site, 16 May 2026.
Last refreshed: 16 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is Piranshahr a focus of Iranian security operations against Kurdish residents?
Timeline for Piranshahr
Four Kurdish arrests in northwest Iran
Iran Conflict 2026- Where is Piranshahr in Iran?
- Piranshahr is a predominantly Kurdish town in western West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran, approximately 80 km from the Iraqi Kurdistan border.Source: Lowdown analysis
Background
Piranshahr is a town in the western part of West Azerbaijan province, Iran, close to the Iraqi border. The population is predominantly Kurdish, and the town sits within the broader Kurdish cultural zone extending into Iraqi Kurdistan. Its proximity to the Iraq border — roughly 80 km from the Kurdish Regional Government territory — gives it strategic sensitivity for Iranian security forces.
Hengaw, the Norway-based Kurdish human rights organisation, documented the arrest of Shahram Pasupish in Piranshahr on 16 May 2026, with his subsequent whereabouts unknown to his family. Iranian authorities did not publicly disclose charges.
Piranshahr is administratively part of Piranshahr County and is located southeast of Sardasht. The area's Kurdish majority and border geography have historically made it a site of heightened Iranian security monitoring.