Iraqi Kurdish fighters reportedly launch ground offensive into Iran

• Ground offensive: Iraqi Kurdish fighters have reportedly crossed into Iran, aiming to challenge Tehran’s authority.
• Thousands of fighters: Fox News reports thousands of Kurdish fighters have taken positions in western Iran near Marivan, armed secretly by the U.S.
• US-'Israeli' support: The United States and 'Israel' are believed to have supplied weapons to Kurdish volunteers since last year, including airdrops in Najaf desert, Iraq.

Kurdish Iranian opposition groups based in northern Iraq say they are preparing for a possible cross-border military operation into Iran, as Tehran escalates strikes against their positions and Washington weighs its next move in the expanding conflict.

On Wednesday, Iran’s powerful paramilitary force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said it had targeted armed opposition groups in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

“Bases and headquarters of Komala and anti-revolutionary groups were hit with success by three missiles” launched at 11:00 am (0730 GMT), the Guards said in a statement.

The strikes come amid mounting tensions along the Iran-Iraq border and growing speculation that Kurdish fighters could enter the US-'Israeli' war with Iran as a ground force.

Fighters on standby near the border

Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), based in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, said some of its forces have redeployed closer to the Iranian frontier.

Khalil Nadiri, a PAK official, said units had moved to areas near the border in Sulaymaniyah province and were on standby. He added that Kurdish opposition leaders had been contacted by US officials regarding a potential operation, without providing further details.

An official from Komala said the group’s fighters could cross into Iran within “a week to 10 days” if conditions become suitable, though he cautioned they were still waiting. Other factions, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) and the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), have stopped short of confirming imminent action but say they are prepared.

Last month, five exiled Kurdish opposition groups, PAK, Komala, KDPI, PJAK and the Khabat Organization, announced the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, pledging to work together toward the overthrow of Iran’s Islamic Republic and to pursue Kurdish self-determination.

Despite increasingly assertive rhetoric, several Kurdish officials have neither confirmed nor denied that a ground advance is imminent, describing the situation as fluid and dependent on developments inside Iran.

Trump speaks with Iraqi Kurdish leaders

Axios reported a few days ago that US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with senior Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Sunday to discuss the war and what might follow.

According to multiple sources cited by Axios, Trump held calls with Masoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Bafel Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) a day after the bombing campaign began.

Talabani later confirmed that the conversation took place, saying Trump “clarified the objectives of the US in the current war,” according to a PUK statement. The White House declined to discuss specifics but said the president has been in contact with regional allies and partners.

Some Iraqi Kurdish officials told The Associated Press that Trump asked for military support for Iranian Kurdish groups and for the border to be opened to facilitate their movement. The White House has denied that any specific plan has been agreed upon.

Speaking to reporters, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said US objectives are “not premised on the support or the arming of any particular force,” adding that Washington is aware of what “other entities may be doing.”

Iraqi Kurds wary of escalation

The prospect of Kurdish involvement has placed leaders in Iraq’s Kurdistan region in a delicate position. Direct participation could trigger further retaliation from Tehran and deepen instability in northern Iraq.

Iran has already carried out a string of drone and missile attacks in recent days targeting US bases, the US Consulate in Irbil and facilities linked to Kurdish opposition groups. While many projectiles were intercepted, some civilian infrastructure has been damaged.

Baghdad has also moved to reinforce the frontier, pledging to prevent armed groups from crossing into Iran or launching attacks from Iraqi territory.

The presence of armed Iranian Kurdish groups in northern Iraq has long been a point of friction between Baghdad and Tehran. In 2023, Iraq agreed to relocate the groups away from immediate border areas and restrict their movements, though they did not disarm.

For now, Kurdish opposition groups appear to be calculating their next move carefully, positioning forces near the border while absorbing Iranian strikes and watching for signs that the conflict inside Iran could open a window for action.