Amid ongoing regional tensions with Iran, an Iranian-Kurdish organization based in Iraq’s Kurdistan region has indicated that its fighters may launch a ground operation inside Iran. The group’s leader also confirmed that the United States has been in contact regarding the plan.
Baba Sheikh Husseini, secretary-general of the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, told Al Jazeera that conditions have become “more favorable” than before, and the likelihood of ground action in Iran is “considerably high.”
Husseini clarified that no final decision has yet been made, but the organization has been working on such a plan for some time. He added that the U.S. has reached out through various channels, though no direct meetings have occurred so far.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Saturday that it had targeted three bases belonging to “separatist groups” in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The Iranian military warned that any action by Kurdish fighters against Iran’s territorial integrity would be met with a strong response.
The Iraqi government has also expressed concern over the situation. In a phone call, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani and Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani stated that Iraqi territory would not be used for attacks against neighboring countries.
Tehran further warned that if exiled Iranian-Kurdish fighters are allowed to enter Iran, it may target facilities in the Kurdistan region in retaliation.
Reuters reported that Israel has been conducting airstrikes in parts of western Iran, potentially to support the Iranian-Kurdish fighters.
U.S. President Donald Trump added that if Kurdish fighters cross Iran’s border, it would be a “good thing.”
The tensions coincide with several security incidents in Iraq, including drone and missile attacks near Baghdad International Airport, multiple drones shot down over the northern city of Erbil, and a drone strike on an oil facility in the southern province of Basra.
Analysts warn that a ground incursion from Iraq’s Kurdistan region into Iran could escalate the ongoing conflict further, potentially destabilizing the broader region.
