TEHRAN – After the U.S. military strikes inside Venezuela early Saturday and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro, Donald Trump appears convinced he can replay the same scenario in Iran.

Before the attack on the Latin American country, Trump had already sharpened his rhetoric against Tehran. On Friday, he threatened military action over Iran’s handling of protests sparked by economic hardship. Days earlier, during talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, he warned of further strikes if Iran rebuilt its nuclear program or expanded its missile arsenal. Netanyahu, who for decades has cried wolf about Iran’s supposed nuclear ambitions, eagerly echoed the threats, even floating the idea of another attack in 2026.

In June, Trump gave Netanyahu a blank check to wage war on Iran. For twelve days, Israeli bombs fell like rain, killing over a thousand people, including women and children. The U.S. joined in, striking three nuclear facilities, certain that fire and steel would break Iran’s backbone. Yet the plan backfired. Western briefings admitted the nuclear program was only delayed “by months,” while Israeli analysts themselves called the campaign “confused.” Iran’s missiles cut through Israel’s defenses like a knife through butter, striking strategic targets and forcing Tel Aviv to cry uncle. The ceasefire, mediated by Washington and Qatar, was not a peace but a retreat — a white flag dressed up as diplomacy.

Instead of turning against their government, the Iranian people closed ranks. Their grief turned into grit, their unity into iron. As the saying goes, “pressure makes diamonds” — and the war only hardened Iran’s resolve. Across the Arab and Muslim world, Israel’s actions were condemned as unlawful, while nations of the Global South denounced the strikes as neo-imperial bullying. The diplomatic fallout was a boomerang: launched to isolate Iran, it came back to strike Washington and Tel Aviv.

History itself warns Trump and Netanyahu that their plans will fall flat. During the eight-year Iran–Iraq war in the 1980s, Iran faced a coalition supported by Western powers and regional actors, endured chemical attacks and economic isolation, yet maintained its sovereignty and cohesion. Survival under chemical bombardments, and the sheer endurance of the Iranian nation, became symbols of resilience. That war proved that when Iran is under threat, unity turns hardship into strength. If Iran could withstand eight years of total war, it will not crumble under another reckless gamble today.

Now, emboldened by the Venezuela strike, Trump may dream of repeating the scenario in Iran. Netanyahu has long pushed for confrontation with Tehran and sees in Trump a partner willing to gamble again. But they should remember a Persian proverb: “Do not play with the lion’s tail.” Iran is that lion. Any invader who dares provoke it will find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. The cost will be unbearable, the humiliation irreversible. For Trump, such a gamble would not be a show of strength but the last nail in his political coffin.

Iran’s unity is a wall of stone. Those who try to break it will only break themselves. Every street, every mountain, every desert will become a fortress of resistance. The battlefield will not be a stage for American or Israeli power, but a storm that consumes the aggressor. Trump and Netanyahu may feel emboldened, but history, geography, and the will of the Iranian people guarantee that their plans will go up in smoke.