Iran Sends Troops to Kurdish Areas Along Iraqi Border

Iran deployed 5,000 troops in the northwestern Kurdish borderlands with Iraq, Iranian state-owned Press TV reported July 13. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating in Kurdish media about an impending Iranian ground incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan amid increased Iranian shelling targeting suspected Kurdish militant hideouts. The scale of this deployment raises questions about Tehran's intentions beyond clamping down on Kurdish unrest. Iran wants to increase pressure on the United States and Iraqi factions seeking a longer stay for U.S. forces, but if it goes too far it could motivate Washington to keep forces in Iraq with or without an Iraqi vote.