Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish groups are watching closely for an opportunity to strike the Islamic Republic, multiple outlets report. “The Kurds are one of the biggest ethnic groups in the world without their own nation,” The Guardian stated. “Numbering between 30 and 40 million worldwide, most live amid the peaks and valleys straddling the borders of Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey,” it added. According to Fox News, President Trump signaled support for Kurdish fighters if they launched an offensive against Iran. “I think it’s wonderful that they want to do that — I’d be all for it,” Trump said, according to the outlet. When asked if the United States would provide air cover for a Kurdish operation, Trump refused to provide details. “I can’t tell you that,” he said, the outlet noted. BREAKING: Trump asked the Kurdish factions to help US and Israel – Axios President Trump spoke to the leaders of Iraq's two main Kurdish factions, Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, to discuss the war and ways the Kurds could assist against Iran. The calls follow… pic.twitter.com/DSagF3bfxj — Megatron (@Megatron_ron) March 3, 2026 Axios explained further: The Kurds have thousands of soldiers along the Iran-Iraq border and control strategic areas that could be significant as the war develops. Iraq’s Kurds also have close ties to Iran’s Kurdish minority. Trump spoke to leaders from the two main Kurdish factions in Iraq — Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani — a day after the Saturday bombing campaign began, two of the sources said. A source with knowledge of the calls said they were “sensitive” and declined to give details on their content. The calls were the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, another source said. Israel has had close security, military and intelligence ties with the Kurds in Syria, Iraq and Iran for decades. “It is the general view, and certainly Netanyahu’s view, that the Kurds are going to come out of the woodwork … that they’re going to rise up,” one official said. Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), confirmed on Tuesday that he spoke to Trump about the war with Iran. According to a PUK statement Talabani, said in a party meeting on Tuesday that Trump “clarified the objectives of the U.S. in the current war.” Netanyahu, who “has been relentless” in urging strikes on and regime change in Iran, first advocated for the Kurds in a White House meeting with Trump. Kako Aliyar, a member of the leadership committee of the Kurdish opposition party Komala, told Fox News Digital that the Kurdish groups are ready to act if conditions allow. Aliyar added that Kurdish groups cannot yet move because the Iranian regime still has the ability to launch missile and drone attacks. Kurdish dissident groups say they are preparing to join the fight against Iran with US support https://t.co/yrIykOF0gB — The Independent (@Independent) March 5, 2026 Fox News shared more: Aliyar said Kurdish groups remain under pressure from Iran and continue to face attacks on their bases across the border in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. “Our camps, the Kurdish political parties, are still under attack by the Iranian regime, and we can’t go into detail,” he said. Still, he indicated that if the opportunity arises, Kurdish fighters would attempt to return to Iranian territory. “If we get an opportunity to go back to our own country, we will use it,” he said. The comments come as Iranian Kurdish opposition groups attempt to present a united front against Iran. In February, several factions formed the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan, bringing together parties including Komala, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), PJAK and the Kurdistan Freedom Party. Aliyar said the coalition is still organizing itself but carries an important political message. “Politically, it’s a huge message for the Kurdish people inside the country and the international community that Kurds are united,” he said. “We are working together, and we are trying 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. More below: