Iraq warns Kurdish authorities not to get drawn into war on Iran, sources say
Iraq's federal government has warned the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) not to allow Kurdish groups to become involved in the war on Iran, telling Kurdish authorities that Iraqi forces could move to take control of border areas if they fail to prevent it from happening.
Iraqi, Kurdish and Turkish officials told Middle East Eye that Baghdad delivered the warning earlier this week amid growing fears that Kurdish groups could be coerced by Washington into joining the US-Israeli war on Iran.
"The message from Baghdad was clear: Kurdish groups must not get involved in Iran," one Iraqi official familiar with the discussions said.
"If the KRG cannot prevent it, then Iraqi federal forces will move to secure the border".
Kurdish and Turkish sources confirmed the warning to MEE, saying the KRG was under intense pressure from both Baghdad and neighbouring countries to prevent the escalation as speculation grows that Iranian Kurdish groups could attempt to launch operations across the frontier.
The prospect of Kurdish groups entering the war has alarmed regional governments, particularly given the presence of several Iranian Kurdish opposition parties based in Iraqi Kurdistan.
These groups have thousands of fighters and are widely considered the most organised segment of Iran's fragmented opposition.
But their involvement would almost certainly draw retaliation from Tehran and risk dragging Iraq deeper into the conflict.
Iran has already threatened to strike Kurdish bases in Iraq if they are used to launch attacks across the border.
Turkey has long viewed Kurdish armed movements across the region as a national security threat and has repeatedly warned against attempts to mobilise Kurdish factions in regional conflicts.
Kurdish officials have publicly sought to distance themselves from the war, warning that involvement could plunge the region into chaos.
Qubad Talabani, the deputy prime minister of the KRG and son of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, rejected suggestions that Kurdish forces would participate in any campaign inside Iran, saying any attempts to join the war could unleash unpredictable consequences across the region.
"Our forces would not get involved under any circumstances," Talabani recently told Channel 4 News.
"This is not our war, and we've made that very clear," he added.
His remarks came amid reports that US officials had explored the possibility of Iranian Kurdish groups launching attacks against Tehran as part of the broader war effort.
US President Donald Trump initially appeared to encourage the idea, reportedly telling Kurdish leaders that they would have to "choose a side" in the conflict. However, he later appeared to backtrack.
"I don't want the Kurds to go into Iran," Trump told reporters last week.
"They’re willing to go in, but I’ve told them I don’t want them to go in. The war is complicated enough as it is".
Speculation widens
The shifting signals from Washington have left Kurdish authorities in an increasingly delicate position, caught between pressure from regional powers and speculation that Kurdish groups could play a role in the conflict.
Despite the somewhat contradictory remarks, two exiled Kurdish groups: the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan have both refused to rule out joining the war.
In a statement on Wednesday, PJAK called on Kurds in western Iran to form local committees to fill gaps where the Iranian state was reportedly withdrawing from.
“We cannot take the side of either the Americans or the Iranians," Mazloum Haftan, a senior PJAK commander, told The New Region.
"Our goals are different... a democratic and decentralised Iran that guarantees the Kurds and other people's right to self-determination."
The war on Iran erupted on 28 February when the US and Israel launched a wave of air and missile strikes across Iran, targeting military installations, air defences and senior officials in what Washington described as an effort to cripple Tehran’s nuclear programme and weaken the Islamic Republic's leadership.
Iranian officials, however, characterised the attack as an unprovoked act of aggression seeking regime change rather than a negotiated settlement over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Trump appeared to reinforce that perception hours after the attacks began, publicly urging Iranians to rise against their government and suggesting the moment could be a historic opportunity to overthrow the Islamic Republic.
Since then, the conflict has rapidly spread across the region. Iran has responded with waves of missiles and drones targeting Israeli territory, US bases and infrastructure across the Gulf, while regional shipping lanes and energy facilities have been drawn into the confrontation.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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