The war between Israel and Iran is not an isolated confrontation, but part of a broader imperial strategy to redesign the Middle East by systematically targeting regional regimes—including Turkey—warned Kurdish journalist Selahattin Soro in an interview published by Mezopotamya Agency on 21 June.
“This war is not just about Israel and Iran,” Soro stated. “It is part of a broader imperial design. Iran represents traditional regional conservatism; Israel embodies capitalist modernity. Their clash is rooted in this deeper contradiction.”
According to Soro, this strategy follows a five-stage model laid out by imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. The first three targets were Hamas, Hezbollah and the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad. Iran, now the fourth, is being “neutralised” to remove it as a threat to regional energy routes and ideological control. Turkey, Soro warned, could become the fifth and final target.
“Each regime is being dismantled in turn,” he said. “And if Turkey continues to resist democratic reform and pursues a policy of denial and conflict, then yes—the domino effect will reach Turkey as well. That is not just my analysis. It is acknowledged by Turkish political leaders and institutions.”
Soro argued that the current conflict reflects broader Western efforts—led by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom—to secure strategic energy corridors such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The aim, he said, is to stabilise these routes by suppressing any political forces that challenge the status quo.
“The war aims to make Iran and its affiliated movements incapable of posing future threats,” he explained. “This is about removing both military and ideological opposition.”
Yet, Soro emphasised that Turkey is not doomed to this fate. He credited Abdullah Öcalan’s political vision—particularly his 27 February peace initiative—with providing a way out. “That call created a historic opportunity,” he said. “It offered the Turkish state and society a chance to avoid disaster.”
“Had Turkey not heeded that call, had the isolation of Öcalan continued, the war could have spread inside Turkish territory with devastating consequences,” he added.
Öcalan’s theory of democratic confederalism, Soro argued, offers a viable path forward—one that rejects both authoritarian nationalism and external imperialism. “The solution lies not in statist centralism, nor in religious autocracy,” he said, “but in a pluralistic, decentralised model that respects all identities.”
He described Iran as a multi-ethnic and multi-faith society—home to Kurds, Azeris, Baluchis, Arabs, Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians—which cannot be held together by an exclusivist theocratic regime. “The current structure is not sustainable. Only democratic confederalism can hold such diversity together,” he said.
Soro warned that the current war between Iran and Israel risks escalating into a regional catastrophe involving the use of highly destructive weapons. “These are very dangerous times,” he said. “We could see outcomes far worse than Gaza.”
Domestically, he urged the Turkish government to abandon electoral calculations and respond strategically to Öcalan’s peace call. “This is not just about Kurdish rights. It’s about safeguarding the future of Turkey and the entire region,” he insisted. “Tactical gains cannot substitute for strategic peace.”
He also called for the immediate end to Öcalan’s isolation on İmralı Island and for renewed dialogue. “This is not the time for silence or manoeuvring,” he said. “The Parliament, the ruling coalition, and all parties must act urgently.”
Soro cited past leaders like Turgut Özal and Devlet Bahçeli, who at key moments supported dialogue, to show that political courage can lead to real breakthroughs. “History does not remember those who calculated votes—it remembers those who chose peace.”
He concluded with a message to all parties across the region: “Kurdish unity, democratic autonomy, and a third way that rejects both regional tyranny and foreign domination—this is the only path to lasting peace. The choice now belongs to the peoples and governments of the region.”
