Kurdish opposition groups say ready to strike Iran amid US pressure

First on Fox: With US and Israeli military pressure on Iran intensifying, and President Donald Trump signaling support for Kurdish forces, Kurdish opposition groups along the country’s western border told Fox News Digital they are watching closely. An opportunity to respond Against the Islamic Republic, which they fought for decades.

Kako Aliyar, a member of the leadership committee of the Kurdish opposition Komala Party, told Fox News Digital from an undisclosed location in Iraq that the Kurdish movements are ready to act if circumstances allow.

“The Kurds were waiting for a moment to do something,” Aliyar said. “We believe that those moments are not far from us.”

But Aliyar said Kurdish forces cannot yet act against the regime because Iran still retains the ability to launch missile and drone attacks, which opposition fighters will have difficulty defending against.

Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq, February 12, 2026. (Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters)

Aliyar said that Iranian forces continue to target Kurdish opposition bases across the border in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Trump indicated his support for Kurdish fighters launching an attack on Iran, saying in a phone interview with Reuters on Thursday that he would support such a move.

“I think it’s great that they want to do this — I would totally support that,” Trump said.

Asked whether the United States would provide air cover for the Kurdish attack, Trump refused to provide further details.

“I can’t tell you that,” he said.

Aliyar said that Kurdish groups are still under pressure from Iran and continue to face attacks on their bases across the border in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

He added: “Our camps, the Kurdish political parties, are still under attack by the Iranian regime, and we cannot go into details.”

However, he noted that if the opportunity arises, Kurdish fighters will try to return to Iranian territory.

“If we have the opportunity to return to our country, we will take advantage of it,” he said.

The Kurdish opposition signals unity

These statements come at a time when Iranian Kurdish opposition groups are trying to form a united front against Iran.

In February, several factions were formed Coalition of political forces Iranian Kurdistan, which included parties including Komala, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Free Life Party, and the Kurdistan Freedom Party.

Aliar said that the coalition is still organizing itself, but it carries an important political message.

“Politically, it is a big message to the Kurdish people inside the country and the international community that the Kurds are united,” he said. “We work together, and we try to reach our goals together.”

Kurdish groups have long fought the Iranian government. Armed clashes between Kurdish militants and Iranian forces date back to the years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Kurdish factions sought autonomy and were violently suppressed by Tehran.

Today, many Kurdish opposition groups operate from neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan, where they maintain political offices and limited military forces.

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A general view of Tehran, Iran, with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, March 2, 2026. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Waiting for Iran’s military capabilities to weaken

Aliyar suggested that Kurdish forces would only be able to act if Iran’s military capabilities deteriorated significantly.

“I believe that missile and drone capabilities must be weakened or completely removed because we are unable to defend ourselves against them,” he said.

Iran’s ability to launch Missiles and drones It remains one of the regime’s strongest means of deterrence against internal or external competitors.

“They can still fire missiles, they can still kill people,” Aliyar said.

It is believed that if these capabilities are reduced, Kurdish forces may try to exploit this moment.

“I think everyone has the ability to do this because Kurdish political parties enjoy great legitimacy among the people,” he said. “People support them, people support us.”

However, Aliar warned that no one can predict how events will develop.

“When war starts, you try to find a way to use it in the best way, but you cannot predict what will happen tomorrow,” he said.

Kurdish resistance is rooted in decades of struggle

The Kurds in Iran represent one of the largest ethnic minorities in the country and have historically preserved it Organized opposition movements.

Kurdish parties have developed armed wings and political networks for decades, giving them a level of organizational structure that many other Iranian opposition movements lack.

“The Kurds inside Iran have their own history and traditions of struggle and resistance with political parties and armed forces,” Gino Victoria Doabi, an international political analyst who focuses on Iran and Kurdistan, told Fox News Digital.

Al-Dawabi said that Kurdish forces are unlikely to move without clear support from Washington.

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Iran

The bombing occurred in Iran on February 28, 2026. (Fatima Bahrami/Getty Images)

“For that to happen, they need Guarantee from America“At the political and security levels as well,” Al-Doubi said.

“The Kurds have learned that they cannot do this for a noble cause anymore, because it will cause too much pain, destruction and killing of civilians.”

Discussions about the idea of ​​Kurdish intervention may have been ongoing long before the latest escalation, according to Al-Dubi.

“I don’t think this happened overnight,” she said. “I think this has been discussed for a long time.”

Regional complexities

Despite the growing interest in Kurdish groups, Aliyar emphasized this Iraqi Kurdish authorities They are not directly involved in any potential campaign.

“The Iraqi Kurds are not part of it,” he said. “I am not Iraqi, so I cannot comment on that.”

Analysts say that Kurdish rebels alone are unlikely to topple the Iranian regime. But if internal unrest spreads and Kurdish forces coordinate with broader opposition movements, Iran’s western border could become a dangerous pressure point for Iran.

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A person holds a picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iranian demonstrators protest US-Israeli strikes, in Tehran, February 28, 2026. (Majid Asgharipour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

However, for Ali Yar and other Kurdish leaders, the goal remains clear after decades of opposition to the Islamic Republic.

“We have had this desire for 47 years,” he said. “If we have the opportunity, we will take it.”

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