A senior Kurdish official has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that Kurdish forces withheld American weapons intended for Iranian protesters, telling Israeli news outlet N12 that it was Trump himself who blocked a planned Kurdish military operation against the Iranian regime.

Trump accused Kurdish forces on Monday of keeping weapons that Washington had expected them to transfer to anti-regime demonstrators inside Iran. Speaking at the White House, he said the Kurds “disappointed” the United States and claimed they “take, take and take,” while fighting only when paid.

🚨 JUST IN: President Trump reveals the Kurds REFUSED to hand over American arms to the Iranian people

“The Kurds disappointed us. The Kurds TAKE, TAKE, TAKE.”

“We sent some guns with ammunition. They were supposed to be delivered, but they KEPT IT. I said they’re gonna keep… pic.twitter.com/rBwd7SDYOd

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 11, 2026

According to N12, the Kurdish official called Trump’s accusations “unfair” and “illogical,” arguing that the plan to send weapons to Iranian protesters through Kurdish channels was vague from the beginning.

“You are accusing an entire nation,” the official told N12. “That is a very serious accusation.”

The Kurdish source also suggested that Turkey had worked behind the scenes to turn Washington against the Kurds. Turkish media previously reported that officials in Ankara held talks with Kurdish factions in Iraq in an effort to prevent Kurdish forces in Iran from arming themselves against Tehran. N12 also reported earlier that Turkey had applied heavy pressure on Washington to halt the plan.

The Kurdish official said Trump ultimately “vetoed and stopped the operation.”

Under the reported plan, Kurdish forces were expected to move from strongholds in Iraq into Iran with Israeli and American support. The goal, according to Kurdish sources who spoke with N12, was to destabilize the Iranian regime and potentially ignite a broader uprising inside the country.

The official insisted that Kurdish forces in Iranian Kurdistan remain prepared for confrontation with Tehran. “The Kurdish struggle in Iran has continued for decades, and it will continue with or without outside support,” he said. “We are the only organized and credible opposition in Iran.”

But his comments also reflected a deepening crisis of trust between the Kurds and Washington.

“Do you really think the Kurds will trust someone else’s plan now?” he said. “We will do what is good for the Kurds.”

N12 previously reported that the Mossad and CIA had discussed a broader plan to weaken the Iranian regime through massive airstrikes followed by a Kurdish ground offensive from Iraq toward Tehran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly supported the concept, but Israeli military intelligence officials viewed it as unrealistic and unlikely to succeed.

Iran is home to an estimated eight million Kurds, mostly in the country’s northwest. Kurdish populations are also spread across Iraq, Syria and Turkey, where their political status varies from autonomy to harsh repression.

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