Trump Holds Calls with Iraqi Kurdish Leaders Amid Iran War

President Donald Trump placed phone calls on Sunday with two of Iraq’s top Kurdish leaders - Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani - to discuss the ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran, according to Axios, which cited multiple informed sources.  

Masoud Barzani has long led the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), while Bafel Talabani heads the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Between them, their families and political parties dominate the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq. The region serves as a crucial strategic buffer bordering Iraq, Iran, and Turkey, and for years it has hosted U.S. troops at the Harir Airbase.

According to Axios, the calls followed months of quiet lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The report emphasized their importance, pointing out that Kurdish forces in northern Iraq are among the region’s most organized and capable armed groups and have strong ties with Kurdish communities inside Iran.

The Peshmerga (the Kurdish military forces) are battle-hardened and were instrumental in the fight against ISIS. By engaging them, the U.S. and Israel may be looking to secure the “land bridge” between Iraq and Iran. Furthermore, because millions of Kurds live across the border in Iran and have been in a state of near-revolt against the Islamic Republic for years, the Iraqi Kurdish leaders could act as a bridge to coordinate with Iranian Kurdish opposition groups inside the country.

This comes as the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was targeted in a military attack by Islamic Republic forces in the early hours of Tuesday, March 3.

The timing indicates that the remaining elements of the Iranian military, particularly the IRGC, are well aware of this high-level diplomatic outreach. The strike on the PDKI headquarters in Iraq, coming shortly after Trump’s calls, appears to be an attempt by Tehran to send a warning - both to pressure Kurdish leaders in Iraq and to discourage any further support or cooperation with Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.