5th March 2026

Press release

For immediate use

The Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights (CODIR) has issued a warning that the incursion of ground forces through the North West of Iran could lead to the Balkanisation of the country.

The bombing of Iran through Israeli airstrikes has created a potential corridor through which Kurdish guerrillas and Mujahedeen forces could put pressure on the regime through the use of troops on the ground.

While US President Donald Trump has not ruled out the use of ground troops the involvement of proxies, rather than US troops on the ground, is an evolving scenario.  Such a development endangers the territorial integrity of Iran with the ultimate objective of establishing a network of smaller states more compliant to the demands of the US and Israel.

On 22 February, five major Iranian Kurdish parties formed the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan (CPFIK). The coalition’s stated goal is the overthrow of the Iranian government and the achievement of Kurdish self-determination.

As of early March 2026, the movement of Kurdish forces across the Iran-Iraq border has become a central flashpoint in the widening regional conflict. Following the January 2026 protests and the subsequent outbreak of the US-Israel-Iran war on 28 February, there have been significant developments regarding these groups.

Intelligence reports (corroborated by CNN and the Wall Street Journal) suggest the CIA has been in talks with these groups to provide weapons and support for a ground uprising. President Trump reportedly held calls with Kurdish leaders in early March to discuss these “sensitive” operations.

Sources also indicate that these calls were the culmination of months of clandestine lobbying by Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. For decades, Israel has maintained close security, military, and intelligence ties with Kurds in Syria, Iraq, and Iran. One official commented on the matter, stating,

“The general impression, and certainly Netanyahu’s view, is that the Kurds will emerge from the shadows and rise up.”

In anticipation of a Kurdish advance, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched multiple missile and drone strikes against Kurdish headquarters in Iraqi towns like Koya and Dekala. Iran has warned the Iraqi government that it will not tolerate “separatist groups” using Iraqi soil as a launchpad.

While the BBC has reported that Kurdish groups have denied crossing into Iran they have confirmed that it is their declared intention to do so, once conditions are deemed to be favourable.

The dangers of widening the military intervention further were expressed by CODR Assistant General Secretary, Jamshid Ahmadi, today. He said,  

“This escalation of the illegal attack upon Iran to involve ground troops would add to the already catastrophic consequences of the war for the people of Iran and the Middle East. It would almost certainly trigger a civil war in Iran, which could lead to the break up of the country. This will inevitably mean even more civilian casualties and deepen the involvement of other nations in the region.”

The solidarity organisation points out that US regime change interventions elsewhere in the region, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria for example have not benefitted the people of those countries and there is the danger that Iran could be the latest calamity to add to this long list.

“CODIR is firmly against the theocratic dictatorship in Iran but equally strongly against outside intervention by the US, Israel, or any proxy forces acting on their behalf”, continued Mr Ahmadi, “the future of Iran must be for the Iranian people themselves to decide. There is no doubt that the war is already a catastrophe for the people of Iran and the region. We must do all in our power to stop it from getting worse.”

Progressive forces inside the country are continuing to call for the end to the dictatorship and opposition to external intervention.

CODIR is calling for the trade union and peace movement to oppose the possibility of any expansion of the war to open a ground war as a matter of urgency.

Affiliates, trade unions and peace organisations are urged to make representations to the UK government calling for:-

• an immediate halt to the indiscriminate bombing of Iran by US and Israeli forces;
• a halt to the use of UK bases for so called ‘defensive’ action;
• opposition to support for US, Israeli or any proxy forces from opening a ground war.

CODIR will continue to provide support and solidarity with those progressive forces on the basis of the people’s demand for peace, democracy and social justice.

ENDS

Further information for Editors

Contact Information for CODIR:-

Postal Address:
B.M.CODIR
London
WC1N 3XX
UK
Website: www.codir.net
E-mail: codir_info@btinternet.com

Further information on CODIR

CODIR is the Committee for the Defence of the Iranian People’s Rights.  It has been established since 1981 and has consistently campaigned to expose human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

CODIR has worked closely with the trade union movement in the UK, the peace movement, all major political parties and Amnesty International to press the case for an end to torture in Iran’s prisons.  Major trade unions in Britain are affiliated to CODIR and support its campaign for peace, human and democratic rights, and social justice in Iran.

CODIR has published Iran Today, its quarterly journal, since 1981, explaining the latest developments in Iran and the most effective way that the British public opinion could demonstrate its solidarity with the people of Iran.

In recent years CODIR has worked closely with Stop the War Coalition and has been vocal against any form of foreign intervention in the internal affairs of the nation.