US-Israel Provocation of Iraqi Kurds to Attack Iran: Local Leader's Response
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BAGHDAD — The United States’ call for Iraqi Kurds to join the fight against the Islamic Republic of Iran has stalled. The Kurdish faction in Iraq says their involvement, if any, would instead create major problems in the Middle East.
The Iraqi Kurdish leader, Bafel Talabani, stressed that his group does not want to participate in the US military plan with Zionist Israel against Iran. He said the Kurds prefer to play the role of a diplomatic bridge to end the ongoing war.
The war sparked by the US-Israel alliance’s strikes on Iran had entered its eighth day as of Saturday (7 March 2026). To date, both Washington and Tel Aviv have not deployed ground troops into Iran’s territory. They continue to rely on air strikes delivered by missiles.
On the other hand, Iran’s military has continued its resistance by deploying attack drones, missiles, and large-explosive rockets. The retaliatory strikes target Israel, as well as American military bases and economic assets in Gulf Arab states.
Talabani acknowledged there had been communications between himself and US President Donald Trump about the possible deployment of Kurdish militias into Iran. However, he emphasised that his group was not interested in taking part in Washington’s plan.
“Iran thinks the talks are going well,” Talabani said in an interview with Fox News on Saturday (7 March 2026).
According to Talabani, Iran’s perception of the talks briefly triggered defensive moves from the Iranian military, including bombing several sites along the Iraqi border inhabited by Kurdish minorities. He said that from communications between him and officials in Tehran, Iran views the conflict with the US-Israel alliance as a war that concerns its very existence.
“For them, this is not the war they want to fight, but the war they believe they must confront. And for them, this is a matter of existence,” Talabani said.
Talabani assessed that Iran does not actually want the war. In fact, Tehran had previously been pursuing diplomacy to avoid open conflict.
This became evident when Israel, supported by the US, began air strikes in late February 2026. Trump repeatedly demanded the ousting of the regime, even though he had already succeeded in killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to Talabani, Washington and Zionist Israel’s demands will not be easily achieved.
‘TSo far, it seems that will not happen,’ he said.
Calls by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Iranian people to rise up were not widely heeded either. Talabani said that Iran’s internal situation remains solid in the face of pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv.