The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has rejected reports claiming it could join efforts against Iran, saying the allegations are “completely unfounded” as fighting between Iran, Israel and the United States intensifies in the region.
In a statement posted on X, Peshawa Hawramani, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government, said the administration had no role in any plan involving Kurdish opposition groups operating against Iran.
The remarks come as the conflict in the region enters Day 6, with the United States and Israel continuing air strikes on Iranian targets while Iran responds with attacks on American assets in the region.
“Reports that speak about a role of the Kurdistan Region and the allegations claiming that we are part of a plan to arm and send Kurdish opposition parties into Iranian territory are completely unfounded,” Hawramani said in the post.
He added that the claims were being circulated “deliberately and maliciously.”
The spokesperson stressed that the Kurdistan Regional Government and the political parties within it were not involved in any campaign aimed at expanding the war.
“We categorically deny them and affirm that they are being published deliberately and maliciously. At the same time, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the political parties within it are not part of any campaign to expand the war and tensions in the region. On the contrary, we call for peace and stability in the region. We strongly condemn the cowardly attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region, and we call on the federal government and the international community to intervene to stop these assaults and protect our land, our people, and our region,” said Hawramani.
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Reports of Kurdish mobilisation surface amid war
The denial follows international media reports suggesting that Kurdish forces could become involved in the widening conflict.
A report in The Economist had suggested that Kurdish forces were building up strength near the border as Israeli and US forces continued attacks on Iranian targets.
Another report by CNN said the CIA was working to arm Kurdish forces in a move aimed at triggering a broader uprising inside Iran.
According to the report, Iranian Kurdish armed groups already maintain thousands of fighters along the Iraq-Iran border.
CNN also cited a senior Iranian Kurdish official as saying that US President Donald Trump had spoken with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) president. The KDPI has previously been targeted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Meanwhile, Iranian officials have signalled readiness for a prolonged confrontation.
Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said Iran was preparing for a long war and could soon deploy a new generation of strategic weapons.
According to Iranian statements, the attacks carried out under “Operation True Promise” have so far used only a portion of the country’s military capabilities.
“Iran’s new initiatives and weapons are on the way,” the IRGC spokesperson said, warning that adversaries should expect stronger strikes in future phases of the conflict.
Iraqi First Lady issues sharp message on Kurdish role
Amid the speculation, Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, First Lady of the Republic of Iraq, issued a strongly worded statement urging all sides to keep the Kurds out of the widening conflict.
In the statement, she said, “Leave the Kurds alone. We are not guns for hire,” while warning against attempts to draw Kurdish groups into a larger regional war.
She also referred to the long and painful history of Kurdish communities being used during moments of crisis and then left exposed. “Too often, the Kurds are remembered only when their strength or sacrifice is needed,” she said.
In another pointed line, Ahmed said it was “very difficult, indeed impossible, for Kurds to accept being treated as pawns by the world’s superpowers.”