US goals in Iran not ‘premised’ on supporting any ‘particular force,’ war secretary says
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that Washington’s objectives in the conflict with Iran are not “premised” on supporting “any particular force,” amid reports that the US may seek to use Iranian Kurdish opposition groups as ground forces.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Hegseth addressed questions about whether Washington is seeking to back Iranian Kurdish armed factions. “All I would say is none of our objectives are premised on the support or the arming of any particular force,” Hegseth told reporters. “What other entities may be doing we’re aware of, but our objectives aren’t centered on that.”
His comments come amid reports that the US is stepping up efforts to use Iranian Kurdish armed groups as potential ground forces following Saturday’s launch of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The conflict has since expanded, affecting several countries across the region.
At the press conference, Hegseth described the campaign in sweeping terms.
“America is winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy,” he said, claiming US and Israeli forces were moving toward “complete control” of Iranian airspace.
During a Monday press conference, Hegseth did not rule out the possibility of deploying US ground forces, saying, “No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do.”
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine in response to Rudaw during Wednesday’s press conference, said, “I am not going to comment on boots on the ground.”
Reports of contacts with Kurdish leaders
The remarks follow reports that US President Donald Trump has held phone calls with several Kurdish leaders.
Rudaw has learned that Trump spoke by phone with Mustafa Hijri, leader of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), an Iranian Kurdish opposition party based in the Kurdistan Region.
US outlet Axios reported Tuesday that Trump also spoke with Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and President Masoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), about the conflict. While the PUK has confirmed the phone call, Barzani’s office has not announced a confirmation.
According to a PUK statement, Trump told Talabani that he “clarified the objectives of the United States in the current war” with Iran.
Kurdistan Region officials have repeatedly stressed that the Region will not be drawn into the conflict or become a source of threat to its neighbors
Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani said Tuesday that the Region "will completely keep its neutrality.”
The Kurdistan Region hosts several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in exile, but the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) prohibits the use of its territory to launch attacks against neighboring countries.
The PUK controls Sulaimani and Halabja provinces, while the KDP governs Erbil and Duhok. All provinces except Duhok share a border with Iran, with Tehran having launched several strikes against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups inside the Kurdistan Region in recent days.
Diyar Kurda contributed to this report.