U.S. President Donald Trump said on Motzei Shabbos that Washington does not want another front opened inside Iran.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump stated, “I don’t want the Kurds to enter Iran. They’re willing to go in…but the war is complicated enough without bringing the Kurds into it.”

Trump added that he has communicated this position directly to Kurdish leaders.

A Kurdish incursion into Iran could pose a serious challenge for Tehran. If successful, it might also encourage other ethnic groups inside the country—such as the Baloch population in the southeast—to rise up, potentially weakening the regime from within.

However, such a move would also carry significant risks. The Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq has already experienced Iranian drone and missile strikes targeting infrastructure and civilian areas in Erbil, and Kurdish leaders fear a much harsher response if their forces enter Iran.

The Kurdish forces in question are primarily Iranian Kurdish groups that have operated for decades from the Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq, especially around the cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. Among the most prominent organizations are the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI), the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), and the Komala movement.

The Kurdish struggle against Tehran is a deep-seated, generational conflict. Accounting for approximately 5% to 10% of Iran’s total population (roughly 4 to 8 million people), the Kurds have a long history of armed resistance. This friction predates the current regime, as Kurdish groups fought for autonomy against both the Pahlavi Shahs and the Islamic Republic that seized power in 1979.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)