Trump Says He Told Kurds Not To Enter War Against Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States has told Kurdish groups “I don’t want the Kurds going in. I don’t want to see the Kurds get hurt, get killed.” Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to Miami, he added, “We’ve had a good relationship with them. They’re willing to go in, but I’ve told them I don’t want them to go in.”

Trump emphasized that Washington does not want the war to become “more complex than it already is.” His guidance follows U.S. and Israeli media reports of American engagement with Kurdish armed groups in Iraq, providing support against Tehran.

Iran Leadership and Strategic Impact

Trump assessed the results of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran since Feb. 28, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several security officials. He said, “We got rid of the top leadership, and we got rid of the second level of leadership. Iran is now on its third or fourth level of leadership.”

He suggested that the conflict could reshape Iran’s political map: “The map may not look the same once the war ends.” On Iranian political succession, Trump stated, “We want to pick a president that’s not leading them into war.”

When asked about Iranian claims that the U.S. struck a desalination plant in Tehran, Trump said, “I know nothing about a desalination plant other than to say, if they're complaining about a desalination plant, we complain about the fact that they shouldn't be chopping babies' heads off, okay?” He added, “They are among the most evil people ever on Earth. They cut babies' heads off, they chopped women in half.”

Regarding Russia, Trump said he had “no indication” that Moscow was helping Iran militarily and added, “If you take a look at what’s happened to Iran in the last week, if they’re getting information, it’s not helping them much.”

These remarks followed a dignified transfer for six US Army reservists killed in a drone strike in Kuwait a day after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Trump noted that deploying U.S. ground troops to secure enriched uranium “may” be considered later but is not planned now: “At some point, maybe we will, that would be a great thing, but right now we’re just decimating them.”

On the war’s duration, he said it will continue “for whatever it takes,” adding that Iran’s military is “almost nonexistent.” Tehran has responded with missiles and drones toward Israel and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military forces.