Intense airstrikes have targeted numerous military positions, border posts, and police stations along Iran’s northern border with Iraq, in what appears to be preparation by the U.S. and Israel to open a new front in the conflict.
A U.S. official familiar with discussions between Washington and Kurdish officials stated that America is prepared to provide air support if Kurdish fighters cross into Iran from northern Iraq. An Israeli military spokesperson said its air force has been “heavily operating in western Iran to degrade Iranian capabilities there and to open a path to Tehran, creating freedom of operations.”
As these remote border regions threaten to become a new battleground, Iran has warned “separatist groups” against joining the widening conflict. Tehran announced on Thursday that it had launched strikes against Iraq-based Kurdish groups opposed to the Iranian government.
“Forces should not think a breeze has blown and try to take action,” said Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Khalil Nadiri, an official with the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) based in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, said on Wednesday that Kurdish opposition leaders had been contacted by U.S. officials about a potential operation. He added that some of their forces had moved near the Iranian border in Sulaymaniyah province and were on standby.
Meanwhile, Baloch militant groups opposed to Tehran have also moved from remote mountain bases in Pakistan into Iran, according to local officials.
Experts warn that backing armed groups from Iran’s ethnic communities could “open a hornet’s nest,” worsening divisions within the country and increasing the risk of a chaotic civil war if the current regime collapses.
U.S. media reported that Donald Trump called two leaders of Iranian Kurdish factions based in northern Iraq earlier this week and is open to supporting groups willing to take up arms against the regime.
According to former intelligence and defense officials from Israel, the U.S., and the region, clandestine operations in northwestern Iran—where Kurdish communities are concentrated—were “ramped up” after the brief war between Iran and Israel last summer.
In January, there were reports of clashes between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Kurdish peshmerga fighters who had entered Iran from Turkey and Iraq. The peshmerga, the traditional Kurdish fighting forces, are known for being motivated, mobile, and disciplined, often proving effective against better-armed enemies, especially on familiar terrain.
Two weeks ago, five rival Iranian Kurdish organizations, led by the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), formed a new coalition dedicated to overthrowing the Tehran regime.
“Getting your groups aligned and united is the first play in the playbook,” said a former U.S. defense official with experience in clandestine operations.
A KDPI spokesperson would not confirm or deny whether its leader, Mustafa Hijri, was one of the Kurdish leaders Trump called, but stated it is the duty of “free, democratic societies around the world to help [Iranian Kurds] win freedom.”
“We think the regime is in a deeply weak situation… and will soon see its end days,” the spokesperson said.
On Wednesday, Hijri called on Iranian military personnel to abandon their posts and “return to their families.” The KDPI stated this call was made “in light of ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes against the regime’s military and security installations, [which] pose a direct and serious threat to the lives of the soldiers, particularly in Kurdistan.”
The U.S. has repeatedly…The U.S. previously used Kurdish fighters as auxiliaries, who provided vital assistance to American troops during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2019.
Alia Brahimi, a Middle East expert at the Atlantic Council, warned against relying on local forces. She argued that outsourcing ground combat to ethnic separatist groups would leave the U.S. with even less ability to influence events on the ground than it had during the conflict two decades ago. She also cautioned that if other separatist groups join the fight, the Iranian public might rally around the regime in Tehran.
“We’re only five days into the conflict, and we’re already seeing the dangerous consequences of the Trump administration’s lack of a strategic plan and the total absence of clarity over both its rationales and objectives,” she said.
Recent attacks along the Iran-Iraq border, including a drone strike on an Iranian Kurdish opposition group’s headquarters, suggest a pattern. According to a former Mossad official, operatives from Israeli foreign intelligence are already active inside Iran. Two analysts added that a series of recent short-range drone attacks against IRGC units along the border also bore the hallmarks of Israeli intelligence.
A former U.S. defense official with recent experience in clandestine operations in northern Iraq said these drone attacks and airstrikes appear to be an effort to open “access points.” This would allow lightly-armed Kurdish fighters to cross into Iran and establish strongholds. Such an operation would follow a well-established U.S. strategy of embedding small teams of military or CIA specialists to direct airstrikes in support of local ground forces, a model used in Afghanistan in 2001 and against IS in Syria and Iraq.
“If you have enough air power, and it is well coordinated, then [the Kurds] would just be walking through smoking rubble, and any regime counterattacks would be broken up well before there needed to be any shooting,” the former official said.
The aim would not be to “march on Tehran” but to distract and drain Iranian military units. U.S. intelligence officials do not believe the lightly armed peshmerga could defeat regular Iranian forces and IRGC units.
The U.S. has maintained a clandestine presence in northern Iraq for years, with communication hubs, surveillance posts, and training programs for Kurdish and other Iraqi fighters. Israel is also believed to have a presence there.
On Wednesday, both Axios and Fox News, citing a U.S. official, reported that Kurdish militias had begun an offensive inside Iran, though there was no official confirmation.
Iran’s Kurds, who make up 5-10% of the population, have a long history of separatist activism and opposition to the clerical regime. Many Kurdish fighters who worked closely with U.S. forces in Syria, building personal connections within the U.S. military and intelligence services, are from groups like the KDPI and the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK).
Analysts say reports that the U.S. provided weapons in recent months are likely unfounded, as light arms and ammunition are already widely available locally.
Support for Kurdish armed groups is likely to provoke deep concern in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, which also have sizable Kurdish minorities.
“If the administration is seriously mucking about or contemplating mucking about with the Kurds in Iran, they’re opening up a hornet’s nest. I think that Recep Erdoğan [Turkey’s president] will have a lot to say about it and so will others – count on strong reactions from Iraqi PM [Mohammed Shia al-] Sudani and Syrian president [Bashar al-] Assad,” said Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council.Daniel Leaf, who served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs until 2025 and is now a diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, noted, “Gulf leaders are likely to feel very uneasy about the prospect of such a U.S. move.”
Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, stated on Wednesday that the region is not involved in the current conflict and will remain neutral.
Violence has escalated from separatist groups within Iran’s Baloch minority in the country’s southeast. In December, militants attacked an IRGC border patrol and a police checkpoint.
Around the same time, Jaish al-Adl, the most active Baloch separatist group, announced a new coalition of armed factions aimed at “strengthening the effectiveness of the struggle” against what it called the “tyranny” of the Iranian regime.
On Tuesday, the coalition claimed responsibility for assassinating the commander of a police station in Zahedan and issued a statement urging “military personnel to surrender to their fellow citizens to avoid harm during these critical times.”
Nasser Bouledai, an exiled Iranian Baloch leader in Europe, said he believes all Iranian communities would welcome U.S. assistance but noted that Washington’s past policies have been inconsistent. He pointed to recent accusations that the U.S. cynically sacrificed the interests of Syrian Kurds in clashes with Syrian government forces.
“Anyone opposed to the brutal clerical regime would accept support from the U.S., but it must be consistent and lasting, addressing the issues of minorities—unlike when the U.S. supported Syrian Kurds and then betrayed them,” Bouledai said. “It is high time the U.S. supports Iranian ethnic and religious minorities against the clerical regime and resolves the question of Iran once and for all.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the reported airstrikes and military developments on the IranIraq border structured from beginner to more advanced questions
Beginner Factual Questions
1 What exactly happened
Airstrikes have reportedly targeted areas along the border between Iran and Iraq These strikes are linked to intelligence about a potential US and Israeli plan to support and mobilize Kurdish forces in the region
2 Who is carrying out the airstrikes
While no one has officially claimed responsibility reports and regional analysts often point to Israel which has a history of conducting strikes against Iranianlinked targets in Syria and Iraq The US role is reported to be more about planning and support rather than direct combat strikes in this instance
3 Who are the Kurdish forces mentioned
This primarily refers to Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq such as the Kurdistan Free Life Party which have historically clashed with the Iranian government They are ethnically Kurdish and seek greater rights or autonomy for Kurds in Iran
4 Why is this region so tense
The border area is strategically sensitive Iran is wary of separatist movements and foreign influence near its borders Iraq is a fragile state where both US and Iranian interests compete Kurdish groups add another complex layer to this dynamic
Intermediate Motivational Questions
5 Why would the US and Israel want to mobilize Kurdish forces
From their perspective it could be a strategy to pressure Iran by supporting groups that challenge its authority internally potentially diverting Iranian resources and attention away from other regional activities
6 What is Irans likely response
Iran has consistently stated it will defend its territorial integrity We can expect strong diplomatic protests potential retaliatory strikes against Kurdish militant bases in Iraq and increased military patrols along its border They may also increase support for groups hostile to US and Israeli interests elsewhere
7 How does this affect the broader Middle East
It risks escalating a shadow war between Iran and Israel into more open conflict It could destabilize Iraq further by drawing it into a conflict between larger powers and strain Iraqs relations with both the US and Iran
8 Is this connected to the Iran nuclear deal
Indirectly yes Such military actions are part of the broader standoff between Iran and
