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“The Kurds in Iraq has had a long history of protecting the Christians. Iran of course has not.”

Wrong. The Sunni Kurdsvwere historically (as late as the 1930’s) the principal enemies of Christians in the region (Assyrians and Armenians).

Sunni Kurdish tribesmen during WW1 were the prinicipal henchmen in the genocide of Armenians and Assyrians (Kurdish organizations acknowledge that they were used by Ottoman Turks for this nefarious purpose).

After WW1 it was Armenian and Assyrian militia in the Iraq, Turkey and Iran area that massacred many Kurds. At the same time... well into the 1920s the Kurdish forces of Simko massacred thousands of Christians, until Simko was killed by Iranian forces (Iran’s army had elite units of Assyrian and Armenian Christians!).

1936 the Kurds (along with Sunni Arabs) in Iraq massacred again numerous Assyrians in Simele, Iraq.

To this day there is much bad blood between Kurds and Assyrians.
Their common foe now (since Saddam actually) are Sunni Arabs... currently in shape of ISIS.

The Kurdish regional government in Iraq doedn’t want several ethno-religious militia (such as Christoan, Yazidi), instead they want to place them all within the Peshmerga framework for pragmatic and political reasons.

As to Iran... why the “of course”?
Modern Iran (both before and after the Revolution) has a much better relationship with local Christians. There is a long record of Assyrian and Armenian Christians serving with distinction in Iranian armed forces both before and after the Revolution. The only (rather minor) friction was in the 1940’s due to pro-Soviet agitation among Armenians and Assyrians). Today Iran and Armenia and Iran enjoy very good relations. What the Islamic Republic Iran persecutes are Muslims who convert to Christianity... that’s a different matter than relations with the Christian ethnic groups.

When looking at the 20th Century, Kurdish-Christian relations have been MUCH more strained and bloody than the largely benign Iran-Christian relations.

Addition to post #3:

The Iraqi Kurdish rebellion against the British in the 1920’s was surpressed by the British-led Assyrian Christian “Iraq Levies” force. Both sides were utterly ruthless. The 1936 Simele massacre of Assyrians by Iraqi Kurds and Arabs was also seen by the latter as “revenge” for the pro-British attitude of the Assyrians and their role in crushing the rebellions of the 1920’s.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simele_massacre

Good post. You have it right. About the Kurds protecting anything but their own self-interest and keeping a subservient dhimmi class in anyone else. The history for example of Assyrian christian persecution is a long one:

http://www.aina.org/martyr.html

One excerpt from this history:

“1743-1790 A.D.
A kurdish force under the leadership of Tahmaz Nadr Shah attacks of the Christians in the region. Many monks were murdered and monasteries damaged such as the famous Assyrian Dair Mar Behnam (located 4 miles away from the ancient city Nimrod), Dair Mar Elia, Dair Mar Oraha, and Dair Mar Mikhael (all are a few miles from the ancient Nineveh). (F.. John Feye, Assyrien Christien, Part 2, P. 591)”

Kurdish recognition of the Armenian genocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdish_recognition_of_the_Armenian_genocide

Kurdish recognition of the Armenian Genocide and Assyrian Genocide is the recognition by the Kurds of their participation in the genocide of Armenians and Assyrians during World War I when Kurds, along with Turks and Muslim groups from various Caucasian tribes, attacked and killed innocent Armenian and Assyrian civilians and refugees. Throughout the Kurdish-populated regions, some Kurds participated in the genocide of the Armenians while other Kurds opposed the genocide, in some cases even hiding or adopting Armenian refugees.[1] Kurds in prison were given amnesty and released from prison if they would massacre the Armenians.[2]

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NOTE: to this day, Turkey denies their direction of the Armenian Genocide. And they practice much the same treatment on the Kurds.

Also Note: Not all Kurds are the same. There are distinct differences between Kurds in Turkey, Kurds in Iran, Kurds in Iraq and Kurds in Syria. Not only by nation but by tribal groups it varies. The practice a form of communalism. They bring government to the local level and each area can vary somewhat. Depending on the country they inhabit.

Kurds are not all Muslim (this is an issue for Turkey). The percentage of Christian, Yazidi, Zoroastrian varies a lot from country to country and region to region. There are pockets of high concentration of Christian belief within the Kurdish areas. Most are careful who they express that belief to.

It is a fact that Kurds and Armenians have a good relationship today.