PAK says Iran used white phosphorus in drone attack on base in Kurdistan Region
Hengaw – Sunday, July 19, 2026
The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) stated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) used munitions containing white phosphorus during a drone attack carried out in the early hours of Sunday against one of the party's bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In an official statement, the party said at least nine Peshmerga were injured.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights and PAK's statement, published on Sunday, July 19, 2026, the party said eyewitness accounts, the nature of the fires, medical examinations of the nine injured Peshmerga, and the extensive, destructive wildfires at the targeted site indicate that the IRGC's loitering drones were equipped with white phosphorus munitions.
The statement describes the use of such munitions as a clear violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, as well as international rules prohibiting certain weapons. It added that white phosphorus causes severe, life-threatening, and potentially irreversible harm to human health and the environment.
Calling for an international response, PAK urged the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and other relevant international human rights bodies to take immediate legal action to hold the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable. The party said the incident should not go unanswered by the international community.
The use of white phosphorus is subject to international legal restrictions. Under Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), the use of air-delivered incendiary weapons against military objectives located within concentrations of civilians is prohibited. Deliberate use in circumstances prohibited by international humanitarian law may constitute a war crime. The IRGC, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, has previously targeted the bases of Kurdish political parties in the Kurdistan Region with missile attacks.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights expressed grave concern over reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran used prohibited chemical-incendiary munitions in the Kurdistan Region. Hengaw called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to establish an independent international fact-finding mission to conduct an on-site investigation, examine those injured in the attack, and determine whether prohibited weapons were used.
