Iraqi Kurdistan

Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdish autonomy in Iraq, studied law at the University of Tehran and speaks fluent Persian, yet his government is close to Washington and suffers from Iran's heavy hand. His rule is a symbol of an almost impossible aspiration for regional stability, and the assistance he provided to the Americans in accessing the top brass of the IRGC demonstrates the complex...

Units of the 23rd Airborne Brigade of the Iranian army participated in a series of raids against rebels, while talks with the Americans were ongoing. During Operation "Lion's Roar," the possibility was raised that Kurdish forces would be used to topple the regime in Tehran, and now Tehran is taking revenge on its opponents without American interference.