Senior Kurdish official responds to Trump’s accusations in conversation with N12: "Trump himself stopped the operation"

By Tomer Almagor

U.S. President Donald Trump accused the Kurds in the Iranian region on Monday of withholding weapons that were meant for Iranian protesters. He also said he had never believed the plan his administration developed with the Kurds would succeed in the first place.

In an exclusive conversation with N12, a senior Kurdish official described Trump’s remarks as unfair and illogical, clarifying that Trump himself halted the plan for a Kurdish military operation in Iran – one that could have destabilized the regime.

Trump’s Accusations

• At a White House press conference, President Trump said the Kurds had kept weapons supplied by the United States that were intended for Iranian protesters who had risen up against the regime.

• “We thought the Kurds were going to give weapons [to the Iranian protesters], but they disappointed us. The Kurds take, take, and take”, the president said.

• He added that the Kurds only fight fiercely “when they get paid,” and made another vague statement on the issue: “I said this wasn’t going to work. I disagreed with what they did. I said they will never get there, and I was right. It’s a shame in this case. We sent weapons and ammunition, and they were supposed to transfer them, but they kept them for themselves”.

The Kurdish Official Responds

• A senior Kurdish official speaking with N12 responded to Trump’s allegations, calling them "very unfair" and saying the plan to send weapons to protesters through the Kurds "never made sense from the beginning".

• "The idea to just send weapons to protesters is a very vague idea. It just doesn't make sense" the official said, adding: "You are accusing an entire nation – that is avery harsh allegation".

• "Trump's allegations are very unfair", the Kurdish official continued, hinting that Turkey had acted to influence Washington and turn it against the Kurds.

• The pro-Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah reported that officials in Ankara held talks with leaders of the Kurdish faction in Iraq in an effort to thwart the Iranian Kurds’ plan to arm themselves against the regime. N12 had previously reported that Turkey exerted heavy pressure on Washington to block the plan.

• The official further claimed that Trump himself stopped the planned Kurdish operation "against the Iranian regime: "Trump himself vetoed and stopped the operation.

“Still Ready”: The Current Situation in Iranian Kurdistan

• The Kurdish official emphasized that forces in Iranian Kurdistan are still prepared for confrontation with the Iranian regime and remain ready to defend their rights by force if necessary. "The readiness for engagemnet is still ongoing. We are still ready".

• "The kurdish struggle will continue with or without support. We are the only oposotion in iran that is organized and has credibilty. We are the only catalysts in iran. No one else is ready like us", the official argued.

• At the same time, his comments reflected a growing crisis of trust between the Kurds, the United States, and Israel after the Kurdish invasion plan was halted: “Do you really think the Kurds will trust someone else’s plan now? We will do what is best for the Iranian Kurds”.

The Bigger Picture

• In the early days of the war, Kurdish militias in Iran reportedly prepared for a dramatic offensive against the Iranian regime, encouraged by the United States. According to the plan, the Kurdish action was meant to destabilize the regime and spark a broader uprising among the Iranian population.

• In a conversation with N12 earlier in March, another Kurdish official, Mohamed Saleh Qadri, said that a large Kurdish force inside Iran was prepared to act “as soon as possible.” At the time, he described the moment as “historic for destroying the regime.”

• However, the plan was ultimately blocked by Trump under Turkish pressure.

• N12 also revealed that the Mossad and the CIA had planned to topple the Iranian regime through a combination of massive aerial softening strikes and a ground invasion by tens of thousands of Kurdish fighters advancing from Iraq toward the heart of Tehran. Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly strongly supported the initiative.

• Deep divisions reportedly emerged within the Israeli intelligence community: while the Mossad presented the plan as airtight, intelligence officials in Aman (Israeli Military Intelligence) described it as “imaginary” and having only slim chances of success.

• The Kurds are a minority group in Iran, with estimates suggesting there are more than 8 million Kurds in the country, mainly concentrated in the northwest.

• The Kurdish people primarily inhabit territories spread across Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. In some of these countries they enjoy varying degrees of autonomy, while in others they face severe repression.