US President Donald Trump personally vetoed a proposal to facilitate a Kurdish-led uprising against Iran, despite publicly criticizing Kurdish groups Monday for failing to help topple the regime, sources confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.
Speaking to reporters, Trump accused Kurdish factions of not doing enough to support an uprising against Tehran after the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iranian military targets. But sources familiar with the matter said the president himself ultimately rejected the idea of backing such an effort.
Foreign reports have said the Mossad had proposed helping spark a broader campaign against the Iranian regime, in coordination with mass protests that could have followed the US and Israeli strikes. The idea reportedly included leveraging Kurdish groups and other internal opposition forces to increase pressure on Tehran while the regime was under military strain.
According to foreign reports, Turkey strongly opposed the plan and urged Trump not to move forward with it. Ankara has long viewed Kurdish armed groups as a major security threat and has opposed Western support for Kurdish forces in the region. Because apparently Middle Eastern strategy needed one more impossible triangle, humanity’s favorite hobby.
The Jerusalem Post previously reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Mossad Director David Barnea and Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder met with senior US defense officials, and in some cases joined video conferences with Trump, as part of the effort to convince Washington to join the war against Iran.
However, senior US defense officials opposed the Kurdish uprising plan from the outset. Their objections, along with other considerations, reportedly influenced Trump’s final decision to block the proposal.
