• Talks ongoing, but no final decision made on timing of attack
• NYT reports Iranian intelligence signals ‘off-ramp’ talks; Tehran rejects report as ‘psychological warfare’
WASHINGTON: Iranian Kurdish militias have consulted with the United States in recent days about whether and how to attack Iran’s security forces in the western part of the country, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.
The coalition of Iranian Kurdish groups, based along the Iran-Iraq border in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, has been training to mount such an attack.
The goal would be to weaken Iran’s military and create space for an uprising after a US-Israeli military operation that began on Saturday and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with other top officials, two of the sources said.
A final decision on the operation and its timing has not been made, added the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The groups have requested US military support, including potential CIA help to provide weapons, two of the sources said. Iraqi leaders in Erbil and Baghdad have also been in touch with the Trump administration in recent days, they said.
CNN was the first to report on the US Central Intelligence Agency’s involvement with the groups and the potential ground operation.
Reuters could not independently confirm the extent of the CIA’s involvement or if any US forces planned to enter Iran. The CIA declined to comment, while the White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Pentagon has two bases in Erbil that have supported the international coalition fighting Islamic State militants.
A source cited by CNN said the plan would be for Kurdish forces to engage Iranian security forces, making it easier for an uprising of unarmed Iranians. An armed Kurdish operation could have serious consequences for regional stability, fuelling a separatist movement among Iran’s ethnic Baluch minority.
Openness to talk
Separately, operatives from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence signalled openness to talks with the CIA on ending the war, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing officials briefed on the matter. The offer was reportedly made through a third country’s intelligence agency.
However, a source from the Iranian intelligence ministry rejected the report as “absolute lies and psychological warfare in the midst of war,” Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.
Officials in Washington are sceptical that either side is ready for an “off-ramp,” the report added.
Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2026
