Donald Trump has claimed that Kurdish forces have held back US weapons intended for protesters in Iran. Analysts believe that Trump is looking for a scapegoat for his own political failure in the Iran war.
US President Donald Trump has sparked controversy in the Middle East by accusing Kurdish groups in the region of holding back weapons intended for protesters in Iran. In March, just after the start of the Israeli-American strikes on Iran, Trump said that it would be “great” if Iranian Kurdish forces operating in Iraq launched attacks on the religious regime in Tehran. A month later, Trump told Fox News that the US had tried to send weapons to protesters in Iran through Kurdish intermediaries: "We sent weapons to the protesters, a lot of weapons," Trump said. "And I think the Kurds took the weapons." In May, he said he was "very disappointed with the Kurds," adding that Washington had sent "weapons and ammunition that were supposed to be delivered but were "held up." DW spoke with representatives of various Kurdish communities in Iraq, Turkey and Syria, who wished to remain anonymous, who categorically denied having received weapons from the US.
Iranian Kurdish leaders deny having American weapons
Kurdish organizations in Iran, including the armed group "Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan" (PJAK), also rejected the White House's version. They all note that purely logistically such deliveries are impossible, and politically they only cause damage.
Fariba Mohammadi, who is the deputy secretary general of the "Kurdistan Comradeship" party, even described the US claims as "psychological warfare". According to her, such weapons have never reached Kurdish political parties or forces. She believes that the explanation for such allegations should be sought rather in the context of the political pressure generated by the events in the region.
Adib Vatandust, a member of the Central Committee of the "Komala" (Communist Party of Iran), stated that his organization had not received "not a single cartridge, not even a single miserable cent". He described the allegations about the alleged operation as a project that serves the interests of the US and Israel, and not the true democratic interests of the Kurdish people.
Mostafa Mouloudi, deputy secretary general of the "Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran" (KDPI), emphasized that from a logistical point of view, these allegations were unrealistic. He says that the heavily militarized borders, the pervasive presence of Iranian security forces, and the strict security agreements recently concluded between Tehran and Baghdad make such cross-border arms shipments virtually impossible.
Who are the Kurds?
Experts say Trump's rhetoric reveals a fundamental ignorance of the political organization of the Kurdish community. The US president speaks of "the Kurds" as if they were some unified force that only awaits orders from Washington. In reality, the Kurdish population of more than 30 million is scattered across several countries - primarily Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. Each of these countries has its own complex political landscape, diverse ideological parties - from leftist to conservative - and a diverse range of political parties. and unique regional dynamics.
Dr. Kamran Matin, associate professor of international relations at the University of Sussex, draws attention to how dangerous this ignorance can be: “Trump has a very limited understanding of both Kurdish society and Kurdish politics. By blaming the Kurds collectively, ignoring the diversity of Kurdish entities, parties and regions, he is redirecting and inflaming anti-war and anti-American public opinion against the Kurds, which could lead to dangerous attacks against them,“ he told DW.
Why is Trump making such claims now?
Experts tell DW that Trump's controversial claims about arms supplies are a classic example of diverting attention from political issues. Kamal Chomani, editor-in-chief of the Middle East-focused magazine “The Amargi Outlet“, argues that Trump was heavily influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and acted on the mistaken and overly optimistic assumption that the Iranian regime was on the verge of imminent collapse. And when that collapse did not occur, Trump needed a scapegoat.
"To cover up this failure, Trump is using the Kurds as a scapegoat", Chomani added. "The Kurds were not sent weapons to be transferred to Iran. As we have seen, even the delivery of the Starlink satellite internet has encountered serious difficulties, let alone weapons", he added.
Kamran Mateen agrees with this assessment: "Trump is trying to justify the failure of his war on Iran by blaming the Kurds. He is also trying to blame the Kurds for not fulfilling his promise to the protesters in Iran to come to their aid when they were being massacred by the Iranian regime," he added.