“The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has not left a single stretch of the border with Iraq without deploying heavy units, ballistic missile launch platforms, and radar systems in preparation for war,” Shirwan Jami, a military leader in the Iran-opposition Kurdistan Freedom Party, told Alhurra.
Iran continues its preparations to repel any potential U.S. attack, at a time when the United States has amassed large military forces in the Middle East.
Last Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that it must reach an agreement on its nuclear program or face “very bad things,” setting a deadline of between 10 and 15 days for Iran to do so.
According to information obtained by Alhurra from leaders in the Iranian opposition and Iranian activists—some of them inside Iran—the majority of Revolutionary Guard bases, missile launch platforms, and intelligence centers are concentrated along the border with Iraq. Some of these sites were struck by Israeli air raids during the “12-day war” between Israel and Iran in June 2025.
The same sources add that Iran has launched missile attacks from these bases—particularly those located in Kermanshah province—over the past years against Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Israel, Syria, and U.S. bases in Iraq.
However, according to Kurdistan Freedom Party leader Shirwan Jami, the Revolutionary Guard has repositioned itself over the past eight months along the Iraqi border, rehabilitating and expanding its bases, establishing numerous new ones, setting up surveillance and intelligence centers, and increasing both manpower and equipment in preparation for war.
Jami notes that the Revolutionary Guard has massed large forces in the areas of Khorramabad and Naft-e Shah in Kermanshah province, near the Parviz Khan border crossing, while transferring additional forces to Paveh, Javanrud, and the outskirts of the city of Marivan. He adds that numerous ballistic missile launchers have been deployed in the highlands of Baneh, Sardasht, and the city of Kermanshah. Among the most prominent missiles deployed are various versions of the Khorramshahr and Fateh missiles, as well as Shahed-136 and Shahed-149 drones.
Jami also confirms that Revolutionary Guard intelligence has imposed a tight security cordon around areas where missiles and drones are being deployed.
In recent months, Iranian officials have not stopped threatening to attack U.S. bases and vessels in the region should Iran come under attack, repeatedly stressing their readiness for any new military confrontation.
On January 26, Iran’s Student News Agency quoted Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref as saying: “If war is imposed on us, the armed forces are on full alert to defend the country, and the government has prepared a plan to manage the country’s affairs under wartime conditions.” His remarks came amid continued rounds of negotiations between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, despite growing speculation about the possibility of war.
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Kaveh Bahrami, commander of the Peshmerga forces affiliated with the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party, speaks of the Iranian regime’s continued “militarization of cities in Iranian Kurdistan and their transformation into military barracks,” along with the transfer of large quantities of heavy weapons and missiles to the border region and the digging of trenches.
“Our information indicates the deployment of large numbers of cruise missile launch platforms. The quantities of weapons transferred in recent days are extremely large and include advanced missiles and weapons that the regime has moved to the border—clear evidence of its readiness for a decisive war,” Bahrami told Alhurra.
Observers and experts on Iranian affairs told Alhurra that Iran’s concerns regarding Iraqi territory in the event of an attack stem from two main factors. The first is the presence of Iranian Kurdish opposition forces inside Iraq, most of which have armed wings operating inside Iranian territory and possess extensive military experience. The second is the presence of U.S.-led international coalition forces in Iraq. The Iranian regime fears that the coalition could carry out ground operations against it aimed at toppling the regime during a potential war, they say.
“It is very clear to Iran that its border with Iraq will be hot, due to the American deployment using it as a land and air corridor, in addition to the presence of a strong, armed Iranian Kurdish opposition that Iran has long demanded be pushed away from its borders. Therefore, Iranian Kurdish opposition forces could move as an influential ground force on the battlefield,” Iraqi strategic and military expert Ahmed al-Sharifi told Alhurra.
Al-Sharifi added that Iraqi factions loyal to Iran would take part in the war in defense of the Iranian regime, citing what he described as a “unity of fate,” particularly given the possibility that the regime could fall this time. He noted that these factions are ideologically tied to the Iranian system, meaning the conflict would be existential in nature. “If they decide to engage, neither the Iraqi political decision-maker nor its institutions would be able to deter them,” he said.
While al-Sharifi does not rule out the expansion of military operations if war breaks out, he stresses that the participation of these factions would trigger direct engagement by the United States or even Israel. The region could witness strikes against Iran-aligned factions inside Iraq as well, he added.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
