Iran media mocks Trump after 48-hour ultimatum melts into 5-day nap
Iranian outlets call the US president's threat a 'bluff' and that he took a U-turn fearing Tehran's retaliatory capacity
It was only a week ago that a US media report claimed that Donald Trump, the country’s president, laughed out loud after being told that the new supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, might be gay.
Seven days later, Iran got its share to reciprocate with ridicule when the mercurial Republican decided to suspend attacks on the West Asian nation’s power plants for five days, citing “very good and productive conversations” between them over the last two days.
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It was only two days ago, on Saturday (March 21), that Trump set a 48-hour deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, failing which it would target its power infrastructure.
Iran media calls Trump's threat 'bluff'
Iran’s media, which is majorly state-aligned, reacted to the US leader’s announcement with a mix of mockery and celebration, suggesting that it showed the US’s hesitation. Some, such as Mehr News, even said on social media that Iran’s retaliatory strikes against attacks on its energy sites “forced” Washington to reassess its position and that Trump’s threats were nothing but a “bluff”, and that the postponement of the strikes made it evident.
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Press TV, another Iranian media outlet, claimed that there was no contact for talks between the two countries, not even indirect.
Tehran Times, a major news website, called Trump’s move a retreat in the guise of diplomacy.
Iran broadcaster suggests Trump feared retaliation
The state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting indicated that the US president did not pause his plan to strike out of goodwill but out of fear for Iran’s retaliation against the regional power grid, which it threatened to target.
Press TV declared that Trump had “backed down again”, placing the five-day halt in a sequence of supposed reversals.
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Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson of Iran’s Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy, said on X, "Trump and America have backed down again. The field is still charging forward. Another defeat for the devil."
There was, however, no immediate response from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Trump’s announcement came, the Times of Israel said. The UK, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, welcomed the US leader’s announcement, saying any reports of productive talks are welcome.