US President Donald Trump has sparked controversy in the Middle East by accusing Kurdish groups in the region of arming Iranian protesters.
In early March, at the beginning of the US–Israeli war with Iran, Trump said it would be “wonderful” if Iranian Kurdish forces based across the border in Iraq launched attacks against the Islamic cleric regime in Tehran.
The following month, Trump told Fox News that the United States had tried to send weapons to protesters inside Iran through Kurdish intermediaries.
“We sent guns to the protesters, there were a lot of them,” Trump said. “And I think the Kurds took the guns.”
In May, he said he was “very disappointed with the Kurds,” adding that Washington had “sent some guns with ammunition, and they were supposed to be delivered, but they kept it.”
DW spoke on condition of anonymity to sources in several Kurdish groups in Iraq, Turkey and Syria who have categorically denied receiving any weapons from the US.
Iranian Kurdish leader denies having US weapons
In Iran, Kurdish political parties, including the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), an armed militant group, have similarly rejected the White House statement.
The leadership of these organizations consider Trump’s statements logically impossible and politically harmful.
Fariba Mohammadi, deputy secretary general of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, described the allegations as pure “psychological warfare”.
Such weapons have never reached Kurdish political parties or forces, he said, stressing that the resurgence of these claims should be analyzed within the framework of political pressure in regional equations rather than realities on the ground.
Reiterating this stance, Adib Vatanadost, a member of the Central Committee of Komla (Communist Party of Iran), said that his organization “has not received a single bullet, nor even an insignificant percentage.”
He described the alleged operation as a project serving US and Israeli agendas rather than the genuine democratic interests of the Kurdish people.
Furthermore, Mustafa Mouloudi, Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), highlighted that from a logical point of view, the allegations are inexcusable.
He pointed out that the heavily militarized borders, the widespread presence of Iranian security forces and the recent tough security agreements signed between Tehran and Baghdad make such cross-border arms transfers almost impossible.
Who are the Kurds?
Experts argue that Trump’s rhetoric exposes his fundamental lack of understanding of Kurdish political society.
The US President refers to the “Kurds” as if they were a single, unified proxy force awaiting orders from Washington.
In fact, the Kurdish population of more than 30 million people is spread across several countries – primarily Iran, Iraq, Türkiye, and Syria.
Each country has its own complex political landscape, diverse ideological parties ranging from leftist to conservative, and unique regional dynamics.
Dr. Kamran Mateen, Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Sussex, highlights the danger of this ignorance.
“Trump has a very limited understanding of both Kurdish society and politics. By blaming the Kurds collectively, while ignoring the multiplicity of Kurdish actors, parties and regions, he redirects and inflames anti-war and anti-American public opinion against the Kurds, which could lead to dangerous attacks on them,” he told DW.
Why is Trump making these claims now?
Experts who spoke to DW say Trump’s controversial claims about weapons deliveries are a classic case of political deflection.
Kamal Chomani, editor-in-chief of the Middle East-focused Amarghi magazine, draws a parallel to the “Golden Calf” in the Bible – a story about leadership failures and blame shifting.
Chomani argues that Trump, heavily influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, acted on the flawed, overly optimistic assumption that the Iranian regime was on the verge of imminent collapse. When that collapse did not succeed, Trump needed a scapegoat.
“To hide this failure, Trump uses the Kurds as a ‘golden calf’,” Chomani pointed out.
He said, “No weapons were sent to the Kurds to transfer to the Iranians inside the country; as we saw, even delivering Starlink satellite internet faced serious difficulties, let alone weapons.”
Matin reiterated this assessment: “Trump tries to justify the failure of his war on Iran to achieve any of his major objectives by blaming the Kurds.”
“The US President also tried to blame the Kurds for his failure to fulfill his promise to Iranian protesters that he would come to their aid when they were being massacred by the Iranian regime,” he said.
Edited by: Amy Sasipornkarn