CIA Kurdish Gambit: Is Washington opening a new ground front inside Iran?
President Donald Trump has held a series of high-level phone calls with Kurdish leaders in Iraq and Iran, discussing military coordination.
Nairobi (Somali Report) - As the US-Israeli air campaign against Tehran intensifies, Washington is reportedly preparing a dramatic escalation — arming Kurdish opposition forces to spark a popular uprising and launch a ground operation inside Iran.
US media outlets, including CNN and Axios, report that the Central Intelligence Agency is exploring plans to provide military support to Iranian Kurdish factions. The objective, according to sources, is to tie down Iranian security forces in the northwest, easing pressure on urban protesters and potentially opening a new front in the conflict.
President Donald Trump has held a series of high-level phone calls with Kurdish leaders in Iraq and Iran, discussing military coordination. Among those contacted were Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, the dominant figures in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. Trump also reportedly spoke with Mustafa Hijri, head of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI).
The strategy mirrors the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan, when American airpower backed local ground forces to topple the Taliban. Kurdish fighters — known as peshmerga, or “those who face death” — bring decades of battlefield experience, having spearheaded the US-led fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have lobbied heavily for the plan. Israeli strikes on Iranian military positions along the Iraq-Iran border in recent days are reportedly designed to prepare the ground for potential Kurdish incursions.
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But the gamble carries serious risks.
US intelligence assessments suggest Iranian Kurdish groups lack the unity and resources to drive a nationwide uprising. Kurdish factions remain deeply divided, and tensions have already surfaced with opposition figures such as exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi.
Regional blowback is another major concern. Turkey — a NATO ally — views Kurdish armed movements as existential threats. Meanwhile, Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched drone strikes against Kurdish bases along the border.
For many Kurds, history breeds caution. Past US withdrawals from Syria left Kurdish allies exposed. A failed uprising, followed by American disengagement, could reinforce a long-standing narrative of abandonment.
If implemented, the plan would transform an air war into a full-spectrum regional conflict — with unpredictable consequences for Iran, Iraq, and the wider Middle East.
About the Author
Osman Hassan is a Senior Editor at the Somali Report based in Nairobi with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He has worked with local and international media outlets in Somalia and is an award-winning journalist. His reporting focuses on politics, security, and regional affairs in the Horn of Africa.