Kurdish Iranian Dissident Groups in Northern Iraq Prepare for Potential Cross-Border Military Operation into Iran
Kurdish Iranian dissident organizations based in northern Iraq are actively preparing for a potential cross-border military operation targeting Iran, according to Kurdish officials who spoke with The Associated Press. The United States has reportedly asked Iraqi Kurds to support these groups, signaling escalating tensions in the region.
Dissident Forces Mobilize Near Border
Khalil Nadiri, an official with the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) based in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, confirmed on Wednesday that some of their forces had relocated to areas near the Iranian border in Sulaymaniyah province and were on standby. The Kurdish groups are widely regarded as the most well-organized segment of Iran's fragmented opposition, believed to command thousands of trained fighters.
Nadiri disclosed that Kurdish opposition group leaders had been contacted by U.S. officials regarding a potential operation, though he did not provide further details. When questioned about reports that the Trump administration was considering arming Iranian Kurdish groups, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters, "None of our objectives are premised on the support or the arming of any particular force. So, what other entities may be doing, we're aware of, but our objectives aren't centered on that."
Historical Context and Battle Readiness
Before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, triggering a new war in the Middle East, the PAK had claimed attacks on Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Tehran's violent crackdown on protests. However, an official with the group clarified that it had not yet sent forces from Iraq into Iran.
If Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish groups were to join the war, it would mark the first entry of a significant ground force into the battle. These Kurdish groups possess substantial battle experience from previous conflicts, including the fight against the Islamic State group.
An official with Komala, another Kurdish Iranian group, stated on Wednesday that their forces are ready to cross the border within a week to ten days and were "waiting for the grounds to be suitable." The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
Longstanding Grievances and Internal Divisions
Kurds in Iran have a long history of grievances and uprisings against both the current Islamic Republic and the monarchy that preceded it. During the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Kurds were marginalized and repressed, leading to periodic rebellions.
After Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents. Iranian forces destroyed Kurdish towns and villages in fighting that killed thousands over several months. While the Kurdish groups share a desire to see the current authorities ousted, they have also clashed with other opposition factions, notably the group led by the former shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, who has accused the Kurds of being separatists aiming to carve up Iran.
Iraqi Kurds Hesitant to Join the Fray
The potential operation has placed leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish region in a delicate position. Three Iraqi Kurdish officials told the AP that a call occurred on Sunday night between U.S. President Donald Trump and Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani—the heads of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the two main Kurdish parties in Iraq—to discuss the situation in Iran.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. One of the officials revealed that Trump had asked the Iraqi Kurds to militarily support the Iranian Kurdish groups in operations in Iran and to open the border to allow them to move freely back and forth.
When asked about the call and reports that Trump has sought military support for Iranian Kurdish groups, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "He did speak to Kurdish leaders with respect to our base that we have in northern Iraq," but denied that Trump had agreed to a specific plan.
The Iraqi Kurdish official expressed concern that direct involvement in the conflict could provoke a harsh Iranian response. The Kurdish region has already experienced a series of drone and missile attacks by Iran and allied Iraqi militias in recent days, targeting U.S. military bases, the U.S. Consulate in Irbil, and the Kurdish groups' bases.
While most attacks have been intercepted, civilian homes have been damaged, and the region is suffering from electricity cuts after a key gas field halted operations due to security concerns. In a statement, the PUK confirmed that Talabani had spoken by phone with Trump, who "provided clarification and vision regarding U.S. objectives in the war." The statement added that the PUK "believes that the best solution is a return to the negotiating table."
Spokespeople for the Kurdish regional government in Iraq and for Barzani declined to comment. The news site Axios first reported the call between Trump and the Kurdish leaders, and CNN reported that the Trump administration was in discussions with Kurdish groups over providing military support.
Iraq Moves to Seal the Border
The presence of armed Iranian Kurdish groups in northern Iraq has been a persistent point of friction between the central Iraqi government in Baghdad and Tehran. In 2023, Iraq reached an agreement with Iran to disarm the groups and relocate them from their bases near the border areas with Iran—where they potentially posed an armed challenge to Tehran—into camps designated by Baghdad.
Their military bases were shut down, and their movement within Iraq was restricted, but the groups did not surrender their weapons. Iraq's National Security Adviser Qassim al-Araji stated in a post on X that Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, had requested in a call between them "that Iraq take the necessary measures to prevent any opposition groups from infiltrating the border between the two countries."
Al-Araji affirmed that Iraq is committed to "preventing any groups from infiltrating or crossing the Iranian border or carrying out terrorist acts from Iraqi territory" and noted that security reinforcements had been deployed to the border. In addition to potential retaliation by Iran, any movement by Iraqi Kurds to join a cross-border attack would likely inflame tensions with Iran-backed Iraqi militias, which have already claimed missile and drone strikes on Irbil in recent days.
