Donald Trump said that the United States secretly tried to supply weapons to Iranian protesters during mass anti-government demonstrations in late 2025 and early 2026, while accusing Tehran of mass killings of its own citizens, Nypost quoted him as saying.
Trump said that the weapons were sent via Kurdish groups, but probably did not reach the protesters. "We sent them a lot of weapons, we sent them via the Kurds," he said in a telephone interview with Fox News. Some Kurdish officials denied the allegations, with Hijar Berendji of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran saying, "We did not receive any weapons during the demonstrations in Iran."
The protests erupted over a cost of living crisis and a currency collapse. Trump has repeatedly urged protesters to continue, warning on January 2 that if the regime "kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their aid". He later wrote: "CONTINUE THE PROTEST - TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR INSTITUTIONS" and added that "HELP IS ON THE WAY".
According to HRANA, over 7,000 protesters have been killed. Local estimates put the death toll at over 30,000, while Trump has said the number is closer to 45,000.
The president also threatened Iran with military strikes if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz. "If they don't make a deal quickly, I'm considering blowing everything up and taking the oil" he said. "You'll see bridges and power plants collapsing all over their country."
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all at the same time, in Iran" and added: "Open the fucking Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll live in hell." In another post, he said: "JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.
Trump said he had halted attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure until April 6 while "deep negotiations" continue. Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are leading the talks.
"I will blow everything up there", Trump warned if a deal is not reached, adding that Iranian negotiators have a temporary exemption from strikes during Operation Epic Fury, which began on February 28.