What happened: President Trump reversed himself Saturday on one of the biggest open questions of the war — whether Kurdish fighters in Iraq would join the ground fight inside Iran.

Earlier this week, Trump told Reuters it would be "wonderful" if Kurdish fighters crossed the border into Iran. On Saturday, AP News reported that Trump has now ruled it out.

But Kurdish fighters say they are moving forward anyway.

What the Kurdish Leader Said

Babasheikh Hosseini is the leader of the Khabat Organisation of Iranian Kurdistan. His group is based in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, near the Iran border.

He told Al Jazeera on Saturday: "We have been planning for a long time, and now that conditions are more favourable, there is a strong probability of action."

He added: "We have yet to reach a decisive decision, but it is highly likely we will move forward with a ground operation."

Hosseini also confirmed that the United States has contacted his group through "various channels" — but said there has been no direct face-to-face meeting yet.

Iran Already Started Bombing Kurdish Positions

Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) did not wait for a decision. On Saturday, the IRGC announced it had struck "three locations of separatist groups" in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

The IRGC issued a warning: "If separatist groups in the region make any move against Iran's territorial integrity, we will crush them."

Israel has also been involved. Reuters confirmed, citing three sources, that Israel has been bombing parts of western Iran specifically to help support Iranian Kurdish fighters — hitting Iranian military infrastructure near areas where Kurds could potentially cross the border.

Iraq Is Caught in the Middle

The government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government of northern Iraq both say they do not want this fight happening on their soil.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Kurdish Regional President Nechirvan Barzani spoke by phone Friday. Their joint statement said: "Iraqi territory must not be used as a launching point for attacks against neighbouring countries."

Iran threatened earlier to target "all facilities" of the Kurdish region if any exiled Kurdish fighters are allowed to enter Iran.

Why This Matters

If Kurdish fighters cross into Iran, the war would get much bigger. Right now, the fight is mostly airstrikes. Ground combat inside Iran would be a major escalation.

Kurdish groups inside Iran are a domestic political issue for Tehran. They represent an ethnic minority with its own language, culture, and long history of conflict with the Iranian government. An armed uprising from inside Iran's own borders — supported from Iraq — would be a very different kind of war.

But there is a real problem for anyone trying to plan this: Trump just reversed his public position. The Kurds say the US contacted them. Then Trump said he ruled it out. Nobody is explaining the contradiction.

Iran's response was simple: they started bombing Kurdish positions first, before any decision was made.

Where Things Stand — Day 8, Evening

All confirmed claims cross-referenced across two or more sources. Trump reversal on Kurds: AP News. Kurdish leader statement and IRGC strikes: Al Jazeera. Israel bombing western Iran for Kurds: Reuters (3 sources). Iraq/KRG joint statement: AP News. Trump's original "wonderful" comment was from Reuters on Friday — both statements are real, one contradicts the other.