–for the second time since severe fighting escalated in July–but the Pasdaran rejected the offer within hours Monday.
Soon after that rejection, however, the Pasdaran re-thought matters and backtracked, saying Iran “has yet to make a decision” about the offer.
The Pasdaran said they had halted attacks on the group for Ramadan at the request of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, but resumed military action September 3. The Pasdaran claimed PJAK suffered 30 casualties in the days after the attacks resumed.
The rebel group said its call for a ceasefire was based on its “peaceful beliefs” and the requests of “intermediaries.” Many in Iran, however, assumed the ceasefire proposal reflected weakness and meant PJAK was on the run. Yet other analysts suggested PJAK, whose leader lives in Germany, was just trying to appear moderate and show Europeans that it was not militant simply for the joy of militancy.
“PJAK can count on Iran to reject the ceasefire offer,” one analyst said. “Then it is Iran that appears more interested in bloodshed while PJAK can say, ‘See, we tried.’”
The ceasefire, which was supposed to come into effect Monday, September 5, was aimed at creating a window during which negotiations on outstanding issues could occur, according to PJAK spokesman Sherzad Kamankar.
Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Regional Government reported that Iranian artillery had killed one woman and injured two others Sunday night.
“The situation for people there is very bad; a large number of them left their houses,” said Karmanj Izzat, mayor of Soran district, which was among the areas shelled.
Pasdar units have been operating in the border regions between Iran and Iraq since mid-July, clashing with PJAK fighters and shelling their hideouts. Both sides have suffered casualties, but exact figures are difficult to determine amid conflicting and exaggerated statements from the warring parties. The Pasdaran have confirmed the death of at least one of their high-ranking officers.
PJAK leader Abdul-Rahman Haji-Ahmadi, who lives in Germany, had offered a unilateral ceasefire about a month ago, demanding that in return Iran give his group the right to be politically active in the country.
That offer had been rejected by Iran, which emphatically reiterated its goal to continue operations until it had eliminated the PJAK presence along its borders and curbed the group’s ability to launch cross-border attacks.
It may be thinking twice about the second ceasefire offer because more sophisticated Iranian officials are concerned about being tabbed as the war-making party.
In addition to reports of civilian deaths, mass displacements and damage to property, the Iranian operations also caused protests from Iraqi authorities against what they called infiltration into Iraqi territory by Iranian troops.
Although Iran had rejected claims of infiltration, that didn’t stop Iraqi politicians–including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki–from calling for an end to the Iranian operations. Stronger words of protest came from the Iraqi parliament, where some MPs warned that the attacks would damage ties between the two countries.
On the other hand, Iran’s English-language news outlet PressTV alleged that PJAK had “received new weapons, including 120-millimeter mortars and walkie-talkies from the US consulate” in Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The US has denied the allegations.
The Obama Administration long ago designated PJAK as a terrorist organization, thereby freezing its assets and prohibiting US citizens from doing business with the group.
Skirmishes between PJAK and the Pasdaran have been routine over the past few years, but the current spate of confrontations is unprecedented for its duration and severity. The Iranian news media say the Pasdaran sent 5,000 troops to the border region in July with the goal of destroying PJAK once and for all.