ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he fully supports Iranian Kurdish opposition groups launching a military offensive against Iran, saying that he cannot say if the US would be willing to provide air cover should such a campaign begin.

When asked about a prospective Kurdish dissident armed offensive in an interview with Reuters, Trump said that "I think it's wonderful that they want to do that, I'd be all ​for it."

Reports have swirled in recent days that opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region will breach the borders and begin fighting Iranian state forces, with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) having strenuously denied the assertions, insisting on its neutrality in the conflict that was sparked by a large-scale US-Israeli bombardment of Iran on Friday.

A CNN report on Tuesday asserted that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has provided backing to Kurdish dissidents, paraphrasing one source as saying, "The idea would be for Kurdish armed forces to take on the Iranian security forces and pin them down to make it easier for unarmed Iranians in the major cities to turn out without getting massacred again as they were during unrest in January."

In a statement on Thursday, KRG spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani denounced the claims as “completely unfounded," saying, "We categorically deny them and affirm that they are being published deliberately and maliciously.” 

Similarly, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the reports of the US and Israel arming such factions to prepare a land campaign are "completely false." 

After expressing his support for such a prospect, Trump told Reuters that "I can't tell you" whether or not the US would provide air support to any attacking Kurdish force, though asserting that the objective of any such campaign would be "to win."

In mid-February, a group of five leading Kurdish opposition parties from western Iran (Rojhelat) announced they would form a coalition under the title of the "Alliance of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan," including the KDPI, PAK, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle (Khabat), and the Komala of the Toilers of Kurdistan.

On Wednesday, the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan announced it would join the alliance, citing a "completely new phase" having been entered following the US-Israeli military campaign.

The groups have come under repeated missile and drone attacks by the Iranian military following the outbreak of the conflict.

On Wednesday, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee for PJAK Zegrus Enderyari told The New Region "that the situation is currently complicated, but so far no military operations have been launched by the Kurds."