Every American war in the Middle East usually opens with the White House calling Kurdish leaders and asking what they can offer. The air campaign against Iran is no exception.
However, part of the Kurdish response emerged with a speed and a force that felt different. The response included a public rejection from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a letter of grief from Iraq’s First Lady, and a apparent reversal by Donald Trump.
A pressing ambiguity following the 7 March decision by Trump is whether the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK) will remain still. The five-party alliance formed in February 2026 now weighs its national goals against the current calls for stillness.
Such a decision will spread repercussions past every border where Kurdish populations have endured a century of withheld rights.
The War Office Calls Erbil Prior to the Exit Strategy
Donald Trump called Iraqi Kurdish leaders Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani following the initial US-Israeli airstrikes. The White House described the conversations as sensitive.
Trump also spoke with Mustafa Hijri of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI). Such a conversation implied a plan to use Iranian Kurdish factions as the primary ground element.
The CIA reportedly considered using the forces to pull the Iranian military thin to aid popular protests or merely secure northern Iran as a buffer.
The peshmerga name translates as warriors who face death and they offer an ancestral memory of combat. Their experience appeals to foreign powers seeking to outsource the risks of a ground presence.
Neil Quilliam of Chatham House said the method exposes the reactive nature of the Iranian campaign. The assessment carries gravity as it originates from a perspective outside the immediate planning circle.
The Refusal of Proxy Status
Iraq’s First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed published a letter on 5 March to observe the date of the 35th anniversary of the Raparin uprising.
Ahmed invoked the memory of 1991 as Kurdish families fought against the Iraqi regime after Americans encouraged them. They were later left alone as the government sent tanks and helicopters to stop the revolt. She said the memories are permanently etched into the Kurdish mind. Ahmed told all sides to leave her people alone and stated that Kurds are not soldiers for hire.
The KRG also stated it would remain insulated from the regional hostilities. Aziz Ahmad of the Prime Minister’s office wrote the KRG maintains a strictly defensive posture within its own borders. Another official mentioned the Kurds would not serve as the vanguard.
On 7 March, Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One the war was already sufficiently arduous and Kurdish forces were no longer part of the plan.
CPFIK as an Independent Force
The CPFIK operates as a decentralised resistance front with a mandate distinct from the regional government. The coalition brought together five groups under a unified command structure for future civil administration.
The Iranian Kurds constitute a population that has endured systemic suppression since the centralised rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Coalition representatives stated the forces were far within Iranian territory to await further developments.
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile strikes against CPFIK positions in Iraqi territory and labelled the fighters as hostile separatist elements.
Four Frontiers
Victoria Taylor of the Atlantic Council wrote CPFIK involvement would jeopardise existing security agreements among Baghdad and Tehran. She noted local support would force the KRG into a direct confrontation with the central Iraqi government.
Türkiye declared it was monitoring PJAK activities as a threat to the regional status quo. A stance kindled by the association between PJAK and the PKK despite the 2025 ceasefire.
The Kurdish Peace Institute observed Türkiye might expand its established buffer zone strategy into a destabilised Iran. Syrian Kurdish forces recently warned their Iranian counterparts regarding the inherent fragility of American security partnerships.
Sum Total of Past Promises
Iranian Kurdish groups have reportedly adopted a firm diplomatic style after witnessing the expiration of previous American alliances. The fighters demand durable political commitments before deploying.
Leaders are asking whether Washington seeks a definitive political transformation in Tehran. One Trump administration official mentioned mobilising a proxy force may prove arduous in the current climate.
The Christian Science Monitor noted the fear of transient American support was a consistent trend among regional sources. The insistence on formal assurances is a plea for a new past trajectory.
The burden of proof rests on a Washington organisation that has repeatedly seen tens of millions of Kurds pay the fiscal debt for every previous war they were invited to join.
Keep up with Daily Euro Times for more updates!
Read also:
Türkiye Warns Kurdish Fighters in Syria
Fuad Hussein: The Intersectional Candidate Defying Iraqi Confessionalism
Iraqi Kurdistan: Lost Stability and Baghdad’s Strengthened Position
