Drones struck an arms depot in an attack on the headquarters of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in the town of Dekala in Iraq's Kurdistan region on Wednesday, injuring two fighters.
Iran has long accused Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region of sheltering militant groups involved in attacks against the Islamic Republic, with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps repeatedly targeting their bases.
Since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war, Tehran-aligned Iraqi militias have directed their attacks towards American bases in the country, specifically near Erbil International Airport. But the scope has now expanded, with the IRGC claiming to have targeted Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups exiled in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The drone attacks come after reports that the CIA in the US was working to arm the groups and encourage them to spark a popular uprising in Iran.
US President Donald Trump has been holding discussions with Iranian opposition figures as well as Kurdish leaders in Iraq. Mr Trump on Tuesday spoke to the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), Mustafa Hijri, CNN and Kurdish news outlets reported.
Iranian-Kurdish opposition forces are expected to take part in a ground operation in western Iran in the coming days, a source told CNN.
The opposition groups have been largely exiled to Iraqi Kurdistan and many of these factions are fractured, with a history of tension and differing ideologies. Arming them would require approval from Iraqi Kurdistan leaders, who may be reluctant to make themselves a target of Iranian attacks.
On Tuesday, three Iranian drones hit the Azadi Camp that used to house the KDPI, in Koya, injuring one person. The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) also said it had intercepted two drones.
Since the reports of dialogue between Mr Hijri and Mr Trump, a flurry of calls of have taken place. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani discussed regional developments and the situation in Kurdistan on Wednesday.
Similarly, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the main ruling Kurdish parties in Iraq, also held a phone call.
Turkey wants to avoid a potential firing up of separatist ambitions among some groups in Iran, especially within its Kurdish population, which could endanger recent efforts in Turkey to dissolve and disarm the PKK.
A statement from Mr Talabani's office said he had “underscored the need to pursue a peaceful solution” to Mr Araghchi. Sulaymaniyah, the PUK's base, came under attack on Tuesday evening, leaving two people injured. The attack is part of a broader campaign across the Kurdistan region, including on the US consulate in Erbil.
Mr Barzani on Tuesday called on the federal Iraqi government to prevent the attacks carried out by “terrorist” groups, referring to the Iran-backed factions. The majority of the attacks in recent days have been claimed by a group called Saraya Awliya Al Dam.
An agreement on US withdrawal from Iraq provides for a presence in Erbil to remain for much of this year, even after a postponed withdrawal from Baghdad and the Ain Al Asad base in western Iraq, making the area a potential target of Iranian attacks.
In addition to the existing US personnel in the city, troops have been moved in from bases in Syria in recent weeks.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan and Kuwait have all come under Iranian attack since the US and Israel began launching strikes on Iran on Saturday morning. All countries host American bases or forces in the region. A base near Baghdad International Airport has also come under attack.
