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The president first made the accusation in early April, which was soon denied by Kurdish political forces, with Iranian Kurdish opposition groups collectively rejecting reports of having received any weapons.<\/p>\n
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He made similar remarks last month, saying that Washington had intended for the Kurds to deliver weapons to Iranian protesters during the nationwide January protests \u201cbut the Kurds disappointed us, the Kurds take, take, take.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The groups were previously accused in early March of launching ground incursions into Iran from the country\u2019s western border to join the conflict against Tehran, reports they strongly denied.<\/p>\n
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The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) including both ruling parties, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), similarly denied the accusation.<\/p>\n
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Trump\u2019s allegations have also been widely criticized for the lack of specificity regarding the particular Kurdish group that had allegedly received the weapons, which has led to internal strife among the Kurdish political and armed forces.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, Iran and the US have continued trading salvoes as the two sides continue failing to come to an agreement to end the war.<\/p>\n
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In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said the US will take control of Iran\u2019s key Kharg Island and its other oil infrastructure to \u201cassume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets,\u201d in the near future while announcing more strikes later in the day.<\/p>\n
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Kharg Island is one of the most strategically important locations in Iran, serving as the country\u2019s main hub for oil exports and a critical node in global energy markets.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe United States will be hitting Iran\u2026VERY HARD TONIGHT,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
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Earlier in March, Trump said US forces had \u201cobliterated\u201d all military targets on Iran\u2019s Kharg Island while sparing oil facilities, warning that he will \u201creconsider\u201d this restraint if Tehran disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
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As a means in its war against the US and Israel, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway responsible for the passage of roughly 20 percent of the world\u2019s oil, sharply driving up global oil prices.<\/p>\n
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The US in turn has also imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, which Trump says costs the country $500 million daily.<\/p>\n
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The remarks come after the US launched fresh attacks against Iran early Thursday, prompting Tehran to retaliate and strike US bases in the region, as the exchange of attacks seemingly erodes hopes for a peace deal.<\/p>\n
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Trump said the US operation involved launching 49 Tomahawk missiles and deploying fighter jets to strike Iranian radar and air defense systems, including targets about 40 miles outside Tehran and along Iran\u2019s southwestern coast near the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n