The Fourcast Will the Kurds fight Iran for Trump and Israel?
9 snips
Mar 5, 2026 
Anushka Asthana, US editor on Washington politics and decision-making. Lindsey Hilsum, international editor reporting from Beirut on Hezbollah and regional spillover. Secunder Kermani, foreign affairs correspondent with expertise on Iran, Kurdish groups and proxy dynamics. They discuss Kurdish moves toward Iran, US calculations over backing, Iran’s calibrated strikes and the widening regional spillover.
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Kurds Are Useful But Skeptical Proxy
- The Kurds are a logical proxy for a ground campaign but their forces are limited and mistrustful of the US due to past betrayals.
- Secunder Kermani notes Kurdish fighters number in the thousands and recall Syria 2023 and 1991 betrayals, so they're cautious.
Regime Change Is More Than Toppling Leaders
- Regime change in Iran is far harder than decapitating a government because the Islamic Republic is embedded across state institutions.
- Lindsey Hilsum explains courts, bureaucracy, prisons and the IRGC form part of the revolutionary system that survives leadership losses.
Avoid Deploying Large US Ground Forces
- Avoid committing US ground troops because boots-on-the-ground would be politically disastrous and likely to prolong conflict.
- Anushka Asthana warns regime change realistically requires ground forces and would risk a long, unpopular war for Trump.