Iranian Kurdish leader says cross-border ground operation 'highly likely' as IRGC strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan
Mar 7th 2026
Published 7 March 2026. Babasheikh Hosseini of the Khabat Organisation says a ground operation into Iran is probable while Iran's IRGC reports strikes on Kurdish targets in northern Iraq amid a wave of drone and missile attacks across Iraq.
- Babasheikh Hosseini, secretary-general of the Khabat Organisation of Iranian Kurdistan, said a ground operation into Iran is highly likely but has not yet begun.
- Hosseini said the United States has contacted the group through various channels but no direct meeting has occurred.
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck three locations of separatist groups in Iraq's Kurdistan region and warned it would crush any moves against Iran's territorial integrity.
- Iraq's prime minister and the Kurdistan regional president agreed that Iraqi territory must not be used as a launchpad for attacks on neighboring countries.
- Sources told Reuters that Israel has bombed western Iran to support Iranian Kurdish fighters, and US President Donald Trump said he would welcome them crossing the border.
- Multiple drone and missile attacks struck Iraqi sites this week, including strikes near Erbil, an attack on Baghdad International Airport, and hits on an oil facility in Basra.
- The US embassy in Baghdad warned Iran-aligned groups may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners in the Kurdish region.