Trump Open to Supporting Armed Groups Against Iranian Regime

Published: March 4, 2026

On Feb. 12, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump answered questions from reporters after delivering a statement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Image: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials revealed that President Donald Trump has an open attitude toward arming groups within Iran that are willing to take up arms to overthrow the current regime.

Officials said that on Sunday, Trump spoke with Kurdish leaders and continues to engage with other regional forces to explore whether they can leverage Tehran’s current weakness to expand their influence. Kurdish armed groups hold significant strength along the Iraq-Iran border.

Meanwhile, Israel recently conducted airstrikes on certain targets in western Iran, prompting speculation that these actions may be creating conditions for Kurdish forces to advance.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in a release that President Trump has been in communication with multiple regional partners. However, she did not specify Trump’s exact intentions. Earlier, Axios was the first to report the call between Trump and the Kurdish side.

The report notes that Trump has not made a final decision on this matter, including whether to provide weapons, training, or intelligence support to anti-regime groups.

Men watch from a hillside as a plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel continued their joint attacks that erupted on Feb. 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Image: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Success

You are now signed up for our newsletter

Success

Check your email to complete sign up

When announcing U.S.-Israel actions against Iran, Trump publicly called on the Iranian people to rise up and “take over your government.” Analysts suggest that if Washington provides conditional support to armed resistance groups with different objectives, its position would go beyond merely urging public uprisings.

Additionally, on Tuesday, Trump shared a Washington Post opinion piece about “Trumpism” on social media. Columnist Marc Thiessen wrote: “There’s no need to send U.S. troops in.” He emphasized that the Iranian people themselves are the ground force.

On Monday, Trump told the New York Post in an exclusive interview that he does not rule out deploying ground troops to Iran if necessary.

He said: “I don’t have that fear of ground troops. Like every president would say, ‘There won’t be ground troops,’ I won’t say that. I would say, ‘Probably not needed,’ or ‘If necessary.’”