"Trump said to weigh backing Kurdish armed groups to topple Iran’s regime"

US President Donald Trump is considering supporting Kurdish armed groups to overthrow Iran’s regime, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 3rd (local time), citing multiple US government officials.

According to the report, President Trump spoke with Kurdish leaders on the 1st, following US airstrikes on Iran. He has also continued contacts with local government leaders seeking to capitalize on the current situation as Iran’s government has weakened.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told the WSJ only that “President Trump spoke with partners in the region,” the newspaper said.

The outreach to Kurdish armed groups came as the United States is weighing regime change in Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes.

Earlier, in announcing Khamenei’s death, President Trump said it was “a once-in-a-lifetime great opportunity for the Iranian people to take back their country.”

At a bilateral meeting at the White House that day with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Trump cited Venezuela—saying that after President Nicolás Maduro was arrested, then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez shifted to policies more cooperative with the United States—signaling he has a “Venezuela model” in mind regarding regime change in Iran.

Asked whether Reza Pahlavi, the last crown prince of Iran who is in exile in the United States, could serve as an alternative for Iran’s next government, President Trump said, “I think someone inside (Iran) would be more suitable.

If there’s someone who is currently in Iran and popular, that is. We also have more moderate figures.”

Noh Jeong-dong, Hankyung.com reporter dong2@hankyung.com