TEHRAN – For an entire week, U.S. President Donald Trump and his stenographers—a.k.a. Western media—discussed the prospects of a new war against Iran.

As initially peaceful protesters addressing economic woes—the result of years of U.S. sanctions—were sidelined by armed rioters earlier this month, Trump took to social media and spoke to reporters, detailing how he intended to “help” the individuals who had wrought unprecedented violence in Iran, killing scores of people and security forces, and laying waste to Iranian cities. In a post on social media, the president said he would attack Iranian authorities if they cracked down on the terrorists. As the riots were quickly suppressed, this rhetoric was amplified, with Western media outlets, such as The New York Times, running reports suggesting military action against Iran was imminent. But with the complete fizzling of the unrest—lasting only two days—Trump appeared to back down, posting that Iranian security forces had been killed and claiming the so-called protesters he had promised to help died in the crowd, not at the hands of officers. However, he seemed to change his mind the next day, telling the terrorists, who had either been detained or gone into hiding at that point, that “help” was on the way and that they should “take over your institutions.”

Reports of an imminent attack on Iran again became widespread. With that, various Iranian officials warned the Trump administration that any attack on Iran, however small, would carry heavy consequences: U.S. bases would be pounded, Israel would also be pummeled, and the Strait of Hormuz would be closed.

According to outlets like Reuters and The Guardian, several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt, urged Trump to refrain from military aggression against Iran, fearing the potential regional and global repercussions. The Israeli regime reportedly also asked Washington to hold off striking Iran, at least for now, as Israel is not currently prepared to withstand waves of Iranian missile attacks. Trump’s advisors allegedly began to warn him against the move as well. They explained that it was not possible to revive the riots, attacks on Iran would not ensure any strategic or tactical benefits, and that the consequences would far outweigh any desired outcome. 

Following all this saga, Trump’s most recent statement on Iran was a distinct back-off. He claimed Iran had canceled the scheduled execution of 800 terrorists, indicating he no longer needed to take military action to rescue them.

“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” he wrote on social media Friday.

Sources, however, have informed The Tehran Times that Trump’s statements do not alter the military’s plans and readiness. “We are prepared for another war at any moment,” said one source. “Various military units have been ordered to maintain maximum vigilance. We will not wait to retaliate. The military has been explicitly instructed to take decisive action if it determines aggression is imminent,” a second source stated.

Iran’s previous engagement with Washington has sown deep mistrust among both the political and military leadership. On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, with Washington joining less than two weeks later. Trump later revealed he had been “in charge” of the war since the beginning. Before this 12-day war, Tehran and Washington were scheduled to attend a sixth round of nuclear talks in Oman. Various American and Israeli media outlets suggested these negotiations were used as a smokescreen to deceive Iran about the upcoming war.