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The CIA is reportedly working on a plan to arm Kurdish forces in a bid to spark a popular uprising in Iran, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions who spoke to CNN.Sources said the Trump administration has held active talks with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq over the possibility of providing military support as part of the effort.
Since the outbreak of the war, several Kurdish groups have issued public statements suggesting action and calling on Iranian military personnel to defect.In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has intensified its operations against Kurdish factions, stating on Tuesday that it had targeted their positions with dozens of drones.A senior Iranian Kurdish official told CNN that Iranian Kurdish opposition forces are expected to take part in a ground operation in western Iran in the coming days, as tensions rise amid ongoing conflict in the region.“We believe we have a big chance now,” the official said, adding that they expect support from the US and Israel. Any effort to arm Iranian Kurdish groups would require the cooperation of Iraqi Kurdish authorities to allow the transfer of weapons and the use of Iraq’s Kurdistan region as a staging ground for operations.One person familiar with the discussions said the proposal envisions Kurdish armed groups engaging Iranian security forces to draw them away from major urban centres, potentially allowing civilian protesters to mobilise with reduced risk of violent crackdowns.A US official said Kurdish forces could also help strain Tehran’s military resources by opening an additional front. Other proposals under consideration include whether Kurdish groups could seize and hold territory in northern Iran, potentially creating a buffer zone that would essentially benefit Israel.The Trump administration has held active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq over the possibility of extending military support to them, as per the sources.US president Donald Trump on Sunday spoke with Iraqi Kurdish leaders to discuss the ongoing US military operation in Iran and potential coordination as the mission advances, two officials told Axios.Kurdish opposition groups remain divided, marked by longstanding tensions, ideological differences and competing agendas. Some officials within the Trump administration involved in discussions about potential support have expressed concerns over the groups’ motivations in assisting the United States.The Kurds are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without an independent state. An estimated 25 to 30 million Kurds live across a region spanning parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia.While the majority are Sunni Muslims, Kurdish communities are diverse in their cultural, social, religious and political traditions, and speak a range of distinct dialects.Iranian Kurdish armed groups are believed to have thousands of fighters positioned along the Iraq-Iran border, with most operating from bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
