In a characteristically blunt Oval Office assessment on Monday, President Donald Trump described the ceasefire with Iran as being on “massive life support.” However, the most explosive detail of his remarks was not the failing diplomacy, but his repeated frustration regarding an allegedly failed covert operation to arm Iranian protesters.

Trump confirmed once again that the United States had sent “a lot of guns” to Iranian protesters earlier this year, only to claim that Kurdish intermediaries intercepted them, expressing deep disappointment.