US Senator Calls on Trump Administration to Arm Iranian Protesters

By Staff, Agencies

US Senator Ted Cruz has urged the Trump administration to provide weapons directly to Iranian protesters and Kurdish groups, arguing that armed support could help opposition forces challenge and potentially overthrow Iran’s government.

Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, Cruz said he had been pressing President Donald Trump to support Iranian protesters with weapons. He argued that civilians should not be expected to confront heavily armed security forces with little more than rocks.

Cruz said the Iranian people themselves should be the ones to bring about political change, rather than relying on US troops to intervene directly. He emphasized that his preferred approach would avoid putting “American boots on the ground” while providing Iranian opposition groups with the means to fight the government.

His comments come after Trump said previous US efforts to secretly arm Iranian demonstrators had not produced the desired results. Trump claimed that Washington had supplied a significant number of firearms through Kurdish intermediaries but alleged that the weapons were retained by those groups rather than being delivered to the intended protesters.

Cruz's proposal comes amid escalating US and "Israeli" military pressure on Iran and growing speculation over Washington’s objectives toward the Iranian government.

In a video address announcing US attacks on Iran on February 28, Trump called on Iranians to seize control of their government, saying that their “hour of freedom” had arrived.

"Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has similarly expressed support for Iranian opposition forces, saying that the joint military campaign could create conditions for Iranians to determine their own future.

Cruz’s call represents a more direct proposal for US involvement in supporting Iran’s opposition, while stopping short of advocating for the deployment of American ground forces.