ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday stated that President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about arming Kurdish opposition groups were a broader expression of support for the Iranian people rather than confirmation of specific weapons transfers.
Responding to a question from Rudaw about conflicting claims over whether weapons had been provided to Kurdish dissident parties, Rubio stressed that the US president’s remarks reflect “the desire that he wishes the Iranian people had the ability to fight back against some of these things that are happening to them,” and are “distinct and separate from the specifics of this operation.”
The top US official further noted that President Trump was “heartbroken by these images” emerging from Iran, in reference to the January crackdown on pro-reform protests across the country.
Rubio’s remarks come a month after Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst said that, following the country’s deadly January protests, “President Trump told me the United States sent guns to the Iranian protestors. He told me we sent them a lot of guns. We sent them to the Kurds. And the president says he thinks the Kurds kept them. He went on to say we sent guns to the protestors, a lot of them.”
Several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups later denied reports that the United States had armed them during the country’s nationwide anti-government protests.
Rubio added that Trump’s remarks were rooted in concern for Iranians facing violence and restrictions, noting, “you’re unhappy that your economy doesn’t work for you… you’ve got friends that have been shot in the head because they’re out protesting.”
He also pointed to Iran’s history of crackdowns on dissent, referencing past protests and ongoing executions. “This is a vicious regime… These are people that hang people from cranes in the town square so everyone can see,” he said.
Clarifying the distinction between rhetoric and policy, Rubio said, “I think what the president is expressing is the desire that he wishes the Iranian people had an ability to fight back… and I would view that as distinct and separate from the specifics of this operation,” he added.