Tipsheet

Here's Why the Iranian People Never Rose Up, and Its Not the Reason You Think

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  May 12, 2026 11:00 AM

President Trump revealed on Monday to reporters why the Iranian people were unable to rise up against the regime during Operation Epic Fury. 

According to the president, it was not simply because public morale had been crushed following the regime’s harsh crackdown on protests in late 2025 and early 2026. He said a broader U.S. plan to help arm anti-regime forces inside Iran was ultimately derailed by a third party: the Iraqi Kurds, whom the United States had planned to rely on as ground forces in southern Iran.

"No weapons, they have no guns. We thought the Kurds were gonna give us weapons, but the Kurds disappointed us," President Trump revealed in the Oval Office. "The Kurds take, take, take. They have a great reputation in Congress. Congress says, oh, they fight so hard. No, they fight hard when they get paid."

"So I'm very disappointed in the Kurds, but they were given, I said it wasn't gonna work, by the way," he added. "I just have to say it. I disagreed with what they did, they gave it. I said, they'll never get there. And I was right, I like to be right. In this case, too bad, but we sent some guns with ammunition and they were supposed to be delivered, but they kept it. I said, they're gonna keep it, but what do I know? I've only been doing this a short period of time."

This comes as negotiations with Iran, and hopes for a permanent ceasefire, appear to be on life support, with regime negotiators repeatedly making promises, walking them back, and offering what President Trump has reportedly dismissed as unserious peace proposals. 

Reports are now emerging that U.S. and Israeli forces are on high alert amid the possibility of renewed strikes on Iran.