Kurdish Factor Splits Middle East Front Lines; Turkey, Iraq May Join Conflict

The military conflict between the U.S.-Israel alliance and Iran has entered its second week, with battle lines spreading across the Middle East. Washington's encouragement of Kurdish forces to join the fighting is emerging as a flashpoint for wider escalation.

According to the New York Times and other outlets, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it has sunk more than 30 Iranian vessels, including a large drone carrier comparable in size to a World War II-era aircraft carrier. General Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said Iran's ballistic missile attacks have decreased approximately 90% compared to the first day of the war, while drone attacks have fallen 83%.

"As operations transition to the next phase, we will systematically neutralize Iran's future missile production capabilities," Cooper said.

Iran launched its 20th coordinated strike targeting Israel and U.S. military facilities in the Gulf region. Missile warnings sounded in Tel Aviv, Israel's largest city, triggering evacuation orders. The United Arab Emirates, which has received nearly 1,000 drone and missile attacks from Iran, is considering freezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Kurdish forces, believed to be receiving U.S. support, have effectively entered the conflict, with reports of combat vehicle purchases. President Donald Trump told Reuters: "If they want to do that, I think it would be great. I'm totally in favor of it."

Analysts suggest Washington is using Kurdish forces as "proxy boots on the ground" to destabilize the Iranian regime while minimizing political costs of deploying U.S. ground troops.

The Kurdish population, estimated at 40 million, is spread across Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. Turkey, which hosts approximately 15 million Kurds comprising about 20% of its population, is particularly concerned about potential instability.

Al Jazeera reported that "pushing the Kurds into war is an extremely destabilizing strategy" and noted Turkey may cooperate with Iran to suppress any Kurdish uprising.

Iraq is also closely monitoring the situation after Iran launched drone strikes on Kurdish positions within Iraqi territory, designating them as Israeli strategic centers.

Oil Market Concerns

Despite Trump's public confidence about oil prices, the White House is reportedly exploring options to stabilize energy markets, including potential intervention in crude oil futures trading.

Trump told Reuters the military operation against Iran is "much more important than gasoline prices going up a little bit" and stated he has no plans to release Strategic Petroleum Reserve supplies.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 8.51% to $81.01 per barrel, the highest level since July 2024. Average U.S. gasoline prices increased 27 cents to $3.25 per gallon.

According to Politico, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has directed staff to develop ideas for lowering gasoline prices, including temporary fuel tax suspensions and Treasury Department measures potentially involving crude futures markets.

Startup News

Revel, a hardware control software startup founded by former SpaceX engineers, raised $150 million in Series B funding, achieving unicorn status with a $1 billion valuation. The company, founded in 2024, develops software for controlling rockets and nuclear reactors.