When questions began to arise early in the Iran war about how — and whether — the ayatollahs’ regime might be toppled without US or Israeli boots on the ground, the country’s Kurdish minority was thrust uncomfortably into the spotlight as a potential solution.
US President Donald Trump himself floated the idea 10 days ago, saying: “I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it.”
He reportedly spoke directly with Kurdish leaders in Iraq. The Associated Press had reported on March 4 that Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in northern Iraq were preparing for a potential cross-border military operation, and that the US had asked Iraqi Kurds to support them.
Then the anticipation dissipated. On Saturday, Trump pivoted. “We’re not looking to the Kurds going in,” he said. “We don’t want to make the war any more complex than it already is.”
And, indeed, no Kurdish offensive has materialized.
There may still be ongoing conversations with Kurdish elements in Iraq and Iran, but anyone pinning the war’s hopes on Iran’s Kurds is likely to be disappointed.
Though armed, Kurdish separatist groups are incapable of carrying out a major military offensive against the regime, and have ample reason to be cautious of promises of US military backing should they launch an offensive.
The Iranian regime has long used the specter of an armed Kurdish insurgency as a pretext for political repression, especially against the country’s Kurdish minority. Were such a foray actually in the works, any serious contact and coordination with between Kurds and outside elements would be kept covert to avoid playing into hardliner narratives.
Read the rest of this article at the Times of Israel.
Published originally on March 15, 2026.
