1 hour ago
Last Updated:March 06, 2026, 12:08 IST
Donald Trump said he would support Iranian Kurdish fighters launching attacks inside Iran, calling the idea “wonderful”.
A file photo of Donald Trump (AP)
US President Donald Trump said he would support Iranian Kurdish fighters launching attacks inside Iran as the war involving the United States, Israel and Tehran continues to expand across West Asia.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Reuters, Trump signalled approval for Kurdish forces entering Iran from neighbouring Iraq and targeting Iranian security forces.
“I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that, I’d be all for it," Trump told Reuters when asked about the possibility of Iranian Kurdish forces crossing the border into Iran.
The remarks come as the conflict continues to widen geographically, with Iran launching strikes against multiple regional targets and the United States escalating its military campaign.
IRAN RESPONDS WITH REGIONAL STRIKES
According to Reuters, Iran launched a drone attack on the United States’ Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, which is the largest American military base in West Asia.
Qatari officials said there were no casualties in the attack.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iranian forces had also targeted several sites linked to US and Israeli forces across the region.
These included the Ramat David airbase and a radar installation in Israel, the Al-Adiri camp in Kuwait, where US troops are stationed, and a drone strike on a base hosting American troops in Erbil in northern Iraq.
A Guards spokesperson said Iran would soon unveil “new initiatives and weapons" to confront Israeli and US attacks, Reuters reported.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh described the conflict as existential for Tehran.
“This was an ‘existential war’ for Iran, leaving us with no choice but to respond wherever American attacks originate from," Khatibzadeh said at the Raisina Dialogues conference in New Delhi.
TRUMP ON IRAN’S FUTURE LEADERSHIP
Trump also told Reuters that Washington should play a role in determining who leads Iran in the future following the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in earlier airstrikes.
“We’re going to have to choose that person along with Iran. We’re going to have to choose that person," he said.
However, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States was not expanding its objectives in the war despite Trump’s remarks about Iran’s leadership.
“There’s no expansion in our objectives. We know exactly what we’re trying to achieve," Hegseth said, according to Reuters.
He said Washington’s military campaign was aimed at destroying Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.
KURDISH GROUPS PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE OPERATION
Meanwhile, according to an Associated Press report, thousands of Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq are preparing for a potential cross-border operation into Iran with possible US backing.
Discussions about the situation were held between Trump and leaders of the two main Kurdish parties in Iraq, the report claimed.
The involvement of Kurdish fighters could open another front in the war, but also risks drawing Iraq deeper into the conflict, since several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operate bases inside Iraqi Kurdistan.
The AP reported that some Kurdish fighters have already moved closer to the Iranian border and are on standby for potential operations.
WHO ARE THE IRANIAN KURDISH GROUPS?
The Kurds are one of the world’s largest stateless ethnic groups, with roughly 30 million people living across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
Around nine million Kurds live in Iran, mainly along the country’s western border with Iraq and Turkey.
Several Kurdish opposition groups have long fought Tehran, seeking greater autonomy or self-determination.
In the lead-up to the current war, five Iranian Kurdish organisations formed a coalition aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic and establishing Kurdish self-determination.
A sixth group joined the alliance on Thursday.
AFP reported that Iranian Kurdish organisations remain among the few armed and organised opposition movements inside Iran and could potentially assist efforts to infiltrate and destabilise the country.
However, their involvement could also heighten regional tensions.
Turkey has already voiced opposition to Kurdish militant groups entering the conflict, warning that such a move could further destabilise the region.
First Published:
March 06, 2026, 11:54 IST
News world 'It's Wonderful': Trump Backs Iranian Kurdish Offensive Against Tehran Amid West Asia War
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