WEB DESK: The CIA is arming Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in an effort to foment a popular uprising against the Iranian regime, according to a CNN report citing multiple sources familiar with the plan.
The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing military support. Thousands of Kurdish forces are operating along the Iraq-Iran border, and several groups have recently urged Iranian military forces to defect.
President Donald Trump spoke with the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) on Tuesday, and called Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Sunday to discuss potential cooperation. An Iranian Kurdish official told CNN that opposition forces are expected to take part in a ground operation in Western Iran in the coming days, anticipating US and Israeli support.
The strategy, according to US officials, aims to have Kurdish forces engage Iranian security forces along the border, pinning them down to create an opening for unarmed Iranians in major cities to rise up without being met with violent crackdowns. Another objective is to stretch Iran’s military resources thin and potentially create a buffer zone in northern Iran.
Israeli strikes on Iranian outposts along the Iraq border have intensified in recent days, which sources say is intended to lay the groundwork for the possible flow of Kurdish fighters into northwest Iran.
However, experts and officials warned of significant challenges. Former State Department official Jen Gavito expressed concern that arming militias could undermine Iraqi sovereignty and destabilize the region further. US intelligence assessments indicate that Kurdish groups lack the influence to single-handedly topple the regime, and the opposition factions are fractured by differing ideologies and agendas.
“The Iranian people are generally unarmed,” said Alex Plitsas, a CNN national security analyst. “I believe the US is hopeful that this will inspire others on the ground in Iran to do the same.
