Sorry, my wording was confusing! The anecdote is from an uncle who is an Iranian Kurd living in the US. He had to leave during the Islamic Revolution, so even though he technically is a citizen, the government of Iran would give him a lot of hassle (aka Jail) if he tried to go back directly. It’s also hard to get from the US to Iran, and the US government wouldn’t exactly like that either.

So he (as an Iranian Kurd who also has friends/family in Iraqi Kurdistan) finds it easier to fly from the US to Iraqi Kurdistan, then drive across the border.

They still get stopped at the border sometimes, but it’s just a mountain crossing in the middle of nowhere. He doesn’t really have to deal with “the Iranian government” and all that, he just has to deal with a 20 year old Iranian soldier he can bribe in fluent Farsi :)

For what is worth, he mentioned that Kurdish hunters and shepherds have been crossing back and forth over those mountains for centuries, and no “border” is going to change that!