Thousands of Kurdish fighters have a launched a ground invasion in Iran, according to a US official.
The Kurdish militias, based across the border in Iraq, began the offensive in northwestern Iran on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump on Sunday night spoke with the heads of Kurdish militant groups in Iraq to discuss the situation in Iran.
The CIA was exploring plans to arm the Kurdish forces with the aim of sparking a popular uprising, CNN reported Tuesday.
The Kurdish groups are widely seen as the most well-organized faction of the fragmented Iranian opposition and are believed to have thousands of battle-hardened fighters.
Their entry into the war could pose a significant challenge to the besieged authorities in Tehran and could also risk pulling Iraq further into the conflict.
Asked about Kurdish involvement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters: ‘None of our objectives are premised on the support or the arming of any particular force.
‘So, what other entities may be doing, we’re aware of, but our objectives aren’t centered on that.’
The Kurds have battle experience from the fight against the Islamic State group and have a long history of grievances and uprisings against both the current Islamic Republic and the monarchy that preceded it.
During the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Kurds were marginalized and repressed and sometimes rebelled.
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents.
Iranian forces destroyed Kurdish towns and villages in fighting that killed thousands over several months.
While they share a desire to see the current authorities ousted, the Kurdish groups have also butted heads with other opposition groups – notably the faction led by the former shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, who has accused the Kurds of being separatists aiming to carve up Iran.
The potential operation has put leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish region in a delicate position.
When asked about the call and reports that Trump has sought military support for Iranian Kurdish groups, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘He did speak to Kurdish leaders with respect to our base that we have in northern Iraq,’ but denied that Trump had agreed to a specific plan.