US President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States has previously attempted to arm Iranian anti-regime protesters, but the weapons were diverted and never passed to the right people, threatening that those who kept the guns for themselves would “pay a big price.”

The comments appeared to be aimed at Kurdish separatists, as he had blamed them for doing so a day earlier, though he did not specify this in his Monday comments.

While speaking to reporters at a White House Easter event, Trump said the armaments were intended to reach anti-government protesters to help them fight back against Iranian authorities.

In January, during the mass wave of anti-regime protests that swept across Iran, Trump had vowed that “help was on the way” and urged protesters to take to the streets and seize institutions. But after the regime began its crackdown, reportedly killing tens of thousands, Trump backed down, only beginning military operations against Iran weeks later alongside Israel.

He has since said that Iranians should take to the streets only after protecting themselves from the bombing campaign.

“We sent guns, a lot of guns, they were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs,” Trump told reporters.

“You know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them,” Trump went on.

“They said, ‘What a beautiful gun. I think I’ll keep it,’” Trump claimed, adding: “So I’m very upset with a certain group of people, and they’re going to pay a big price for that.”

In his press event Monday, Trump did not give details about who he was accusing of taking the US weapons. However, on Sunday, Trump was quoted as saying by a Fox News reporter that he blamed Kurdish intermediaries for having taken weapons destined for Iranian dissidents.

“We sent guns to the protesters, a lot of them… and I think the Kurds took the guns,” Trump reportedly said.

He did not provide evidence for that claim.

Trump continued his verbal attacks against the Kurds Monday at a White House press conference after the Easter event, after being asked if he’d like them to get involved in the war.

“I’d rather have them stay away because I think they bring with them some problems and some difficulty,” he responded.

“They bring death… to themselves,” he said.

According to a Channel 12 investigative report published last week, the US and Israel had planned for Kurdish militia forces to invade Iran early in the ongoing war, hoping to spur a rebellion that would bring down the Islamic Republic – but leaks to the media, lobbying by allies, and wariness among the Kurds themselves led Washington to pull the plug on the idea.

After initially proclaiming a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Iranians to overthrow their government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump have subdued their rhetoric about regime change since the start of the war, with Netanyahu saying several times last month that he cannot be certain that the Iranian public will rise up.

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