A War That Only Grows

On the seventh day of the US-Israeli war on Iran, President Donald Trump took a step that transformed the conflict from a military campaign into something far more dangerous: an attempt to ignite civil war inside Iran itself.

Trump publicly encouraged Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq to launch attacks against Iran's central government, according to Reuters. The CIA has reportedly supplied these groups with light weapons as part of a covert destabilization programme, and unverified reports claim thousands of Kurdish fighters have already crossed from Iraq into northwestern Iran.

The move represents a dramatic escalation in Washington's war aims. What began as targeted strikes against Iran's nuclear and military infrastructure has become an open campaign for regime collapse — one that now seeks to fracture Iran along ethnic lines.

The Kurdish Gambit

Trump reportedly held calls with Iraqi Kurdish leaders Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani, as well as Iranian Kurdish leader Mustafa Hijri, though the White House and Kurdish officials in Erbil denied the conversations took place.

Regional analysts are alarmed. "The US and Israel want to produce a separatist armed Kurdish case in Iran similar to the Kurdish case that America imposed in Syria," warned Mahmoud Allouch, a regional affairs expert, speaking to Al Jazeera.

But the strategy carries enormous risks. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) only began steps toward disarmament in Turkey last summer after a four-decade armed campaign. Any armed Kurdish advance in Iran could provoke a reaction from Ankara, threatening NATO cohesion at a moment when the alliance is already strained.

The government of northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region moved quickly to distance itself. President Nechirvan Barzani said the Kurdistan Region "must not become part of any conflict or military escalation that harms the lives and security of our fellow citizens."

History offers a brutal lesson. In 1975, the US and Iran armed Iraqi Kurdish rebels against Baghdad — then abandoned them overnight once the Shah secured a territorial concession. "Covert action should not be confused with missionary work," Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said at the time. The Kurds have been used as disposable proxies before. They know the pattern.

Iran Digs In

If Washington hoped that a week of relentless bombing would bring Tehran to the negotiating table, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shattered that expectation on Thursday.

"We are not asking for a ceasefire," Araghchi told NBC News in an exclusive interview. "And we don't see any reason why we should negotiate."

His logic was blunt: Iran negotiated with the US twice before — and "every time they attacked us in the middle of negotiations." Trust is gone.

Araghchi also dismissed Trump's talk of a four-to-five-week war, saying the US had "failed to achieve its main goal, which was a clean, rapid victory." He warned that a ground invasion would be "a big disaster for them," expressing confidence in Iran's ability to confront US forces on its own soil.

On the question of attacks on Gulf neighbors, Araghchi made a careful distinction: "We have not attacked Muslim countries. We have attacked American targets and American bases, American installations, which are unfortunately located in the soils of our neighbors." Bahrain contradicted this account, saying Iran had targeted two hotels and a residential building in the capital Manama.

Israel's 'Broad-Scale' Tehran Offensive

As diplomatic channels froze, Israel announced a "broad-scale" attack on Tehran late Thursday night. The Israeli military said it had struck multiple targets in Iran's capital, hours after hitting Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The New York Times reported more than 10 Israeli airstrikes across at least five areas of southern Beirut in a single night. In Tehran, verified footage showed smoke rising from the Azadi stadium complex, which Iranian state media said had been "destroyed."

Iran responded with missile salvos against Tel Aviv. State broadcaster IRIB said Tehran had fired missiles "against targets in the heart of Tel Aviv." Israel's military said it was working to intercept the incoming fire.

The escalation spiral shows no sign of slowing. Iran's missile capability may be degraded — US officials claim a 90% reduction — but its willingness to fight has not diminished.

The Warship That Changed Everything

The sinking of the IRIS Dena, an Iranian frigate torpedoed by a US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka, continues to reverberate. It was the first torpedo kill by a US submarine since World War II.

CNN reported that the attack raised serious questions about the broadening scope of the war. The Dena was 2,000 miles from the battlefield when it was struck — a signal that no Iranian military asset is safe anywhere in the world.

Iranian sailors are recovering in a Sri Lankan hospital. Iran has vowed revenge. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called it a "quiet death" and warned that "firepower over Iran will surge dramatically."

The Indonesia Connection

The war's ripple effects continue to hit Indonesia hard. The rupiah has weakened under oil price pressure, with economists warning that prolonged conflict could trigger inflation through higher production costs. IHSG opened down 0.14% on Friday after its volatile week.

President Prabowo faces his own crisis: mounting pressure to withdraw from Trump's Board of Peace, which has effectively frozen as the war consumes all attention. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation may emerge as Indonesia's preferred diplomatic channel if the BoP collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.

For Indonesia, the war is not abstract. Fifty-eight thousand pilgrims remain stranded in Saudi Arabia. Oil imports are becoming more expensive by the day. And the president's foreign policy alignment with Washington looks increasingly like a liability.

No Exit

Seven days in, the contours of this war are becoming clear. Trump wants regime change without ground troops, using air power, submarine warfare, and ethnic insurgency to collapse the Iranian state from within. Iran refuses to negotiate, digs in for a long fight, and retaliates against US bases across the Gulf.

There is no mediator with credibility on both sides. China has sent an envoy but has its own agenda. The UN Security Council is paralyzed. NATO is fractured, with Spain openly defying Trump's war.

The question that haunts every capital from Jakarta to Riyadh is the same one Araghchi posed to NBC: if Iran won't negotiate, and Trump won't stop bombing, how does this end?