A large number of people in the Kurdish cities of Sina, Mahabad, Saqiz and Mariwan celebrated the independence referendum of the Kurdistan Region.
The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) tweeted that "tens of thousands" defiantly hit the streets to show solidarity with their Kurdish brethren in Iraq.
PDKI also stated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had deployed tanks and "thousands" of forces "to prevent independence celebrations."
In Mahabad, the site of the last short-lived Kurdish state — The Mahabad Republic — people sang Kurdistan's national anthem 'Ey Reqib.'
Dozens of revelers were arrested by the Iranian government, Rudaw was told by locals.
Iranian government forces regularly shell areas in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region where three Kurdish armed groups opposed to Iran are present. They include members PDKI (HDKA), Iran's Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK, HDK), and the Komala party. Komala is a leftist political party of Iranian Kurdistan.
