Iranian Kurdish fighters may enter Iran from Iraq – Report

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters on an armored vehicle during a security deployment against ISIS militants on the frontline in Khazer, Aug. 8, 2014. – Reuters
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters on an armored vehicle during a security deployment against ISIS militants on the frontline in Khazer, Aug. 8, 2014. – Reuters

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Iranian Kurdish armed groups backed by the United States are preparing to enter Iran from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq “within days,” the news outlet Al-Monitor cited sources as saying on Wednesday. 

The sources said an alliance of six Iranian Kurdish factions has been supplied with weapons and equipment and could soon cross into Iran as fighting escalates between the United States, Israel, and Iran.

The move follows phone calls on March 1 by U.S. President Donald Trump with Iraqi Kurdish leaders Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, during which they reportedly discussed developments related to the plan.

Sources told Al-Monitor that the fighters could cross into Iran through border areas near Haji Omran Border Crossing, which is controlled by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Bashmaq Border Crossing, located in territory administered by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The report said the proposed operation aims to put pressure on Iran’s government by opening new fronts in Kurdish-majority areas and encouraging unrest among other ethnic groups.

However, officials in Washington have denied approving such a plan. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said reports claiming that Trump authorized arming Kurdish fighters were “completely false.”

Similarly, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth downplayed any direct reliance on Kurdish fighters during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, saying U.S. objectives were not based on supporting any specific armed group.

Also, the Kurdish groups themselves rejected the reports of crossing the border or fighting the Iranian government. “None of our forces have entered the territory of Eastern Kurdistan [western Iran],” an official from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) told Rudaw – an Erbil-based Kurdish news network.

Similarly, a source from Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan also strongly rejected the media reports in comments to Rudaw. “We are on standby for all possibilities, but none of our forces have entered Rojhelat [western Iran] so far. Reports suggesting otherwise are false,” the Komala official emphasized.

The report comes amid an intensifying conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, which has seen heavy airstrikes across Iranian territory since March 1. More than 1,000 people were reportedly killed in the fighting, including senior Iranian officials.

The situation has raised concerns among regional powers. Turkey, which opposes the activities of Kurdish armed groups near its borders, reportedly warned Iraqi Kurdish authorities against allowing Iranian Kurdish factions to use the region as a base for operations inside Iran.

Ankara is particularly wary of the involvement of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an Iranian Kurdish group linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey designates as a terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, leaders in the Kurdistan Regional Government have sought to distance themselves from the escalating conflict. Qubad Talabani said the Kurdistan Region “is not part of the regional conflict” and remains committed to neutrality.

Observers warn that any cross-border Kurdish military operation could further destabilize the region and trigger retaliation from Iran.