Iraqi Kurdish officials have told The Associated Press that thousands of battle-hardened Kurds in northern Iraq are preparing for a potential cross-border military operation in Iran with U.S. backing.

Follow live updates and the latest news coverage as Iran vows revenge for the U.S. warship sinking, Trump and Israel strike Tehran, and Americans are stranded in the Middle East.

Iran maintains ties with a range of countries, including Turkey, India, Russia and China. Yet in this war, their support is mostly rhetoric.

By bne Turkey bureau Turkey said on March 5 that its state institutions are keeping a close eye on the actions of the Iranian Kurdish Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) militant group. Ankara’s terse words come at a time when reports suggest PJAK and other Kurdish groups could be armed by the US for an attack launched from Iraq on Iranian security

Under relentless Israeli-US attack, Iran has bombarded US assets in the Gulf, but so far has not touched Turkey which would be a "high-cost strategic gamble" that could go disastrously wrong, analysts said.

Israeli attacks on Iran that began on Saturday. A prolonged conflict could ripple broadly across the global economy, thre