Iran Launches Drone Strikes on Kurdish Opposition Bases in Iraq

Iran’s armed forces carried out drone strikes against Iranian Kurdish opposition bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Sunday, Iranian state media reported, marking a fresh cross-border military operation as tensions between Baghdad and Tehran reach a new high.

What We Know

Iran’s armed forces attacked bases belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq’s Kurdistan region using drones, Middle East Eye reported, citing Iranian media.

The Kurdistan Regional Government separately denied that its territory is being used to host Ukrainian drones, a claim Tehran has previously cited as justification for strikes in the region, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Baghdad shut its border crossings with Iran this week, a move the Iraqi government appears to be using to signal its displeasure with ongoing Iranian military operations on Iraqi soil, per the Jerusalem Post. Iraq has reportedly absorbed roughly 1,000 Iranian strikes targeting Kurdistan and some 600 militia attacks in recent years.

What We Don’t Know

This is a developing situation. The number of drones deployed, specific bases struck, and any casualties have not been independently confirmed beyond Iranian state media reports. The specific Kurdish opposition group or groups targeted have not been verified by Iraqi or Kurdish officials. It is not yet known whether the KRG will formally protest the strikes.

Context

Iran has periodically struck bases of groups including the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan and Komala in northern Iraq, treating them as security threats operating from foreign soil. The strikes come as the Trump administration is weighing direct military options against Iran: CENTCOM is reportedly holding finalized strike plans pending White House authorization, and a Sunday deadline set by President Trump for progress on Iran negotiations has added further pressure to an already combustible situation. For background, see Trump’s Sunday Iran Deadline.

Baghdad’s decision to close border crossings with Tehran reflects Iraq’s precarious position. The Iraqi government has little appetite for being pulled into a wider Iran conflict, but it lacks the military leverage to stop cross-border Iranian operations. That dynamic is relevant to any US escalation calculus: a strike on Iran that prompts Iranian retaliation inside Iraq would directly implicate Baghdad whether or not Iraq consents.

What to Watch

1. Whether the Kurdistan Regional Government or Iraqi central government issues a formal protest to Tehran over the drone strikes and whether it draws a new response from Iran.
2. Casualty and damage assessments from Kurdish officials on the ground in affected areas.
3. Whether Tehran uses this operation as a signaling move in the context of the Trump Sunday deadline, framing it as a demonstration of regional reach ahead of any US decision on Iran strikes.