US President Donald Trump on Friday published a post on his Truth Social platform in which he again signaled that, at least for now, he does not intend to strike Iran, despite the fact that the regime has killed thousands of protesters in its brutal crackdown on protests against the ayatollahs’ rule and despite his own explicit threats to punish it for doing so.
“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!” Trump wrote, repeating a claim that had already been voiced the night before by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Later, speaking with reporters outside the White House, Trump was asked who had convinced him not to attack Iran. In his response, he sounded as though he was confirming that he does not plan to strike, although the possibility remains that this could be a deliberate attempt at deception. “Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself,” he said, again repeating the claim that Iran had canceled mass executions.
Trump: 'Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself'
Trump, who repeatedly warned Iran over the past week against killing protesters, has shifted his tone in recent days. Two days ago, he even appeared to justify harm to protesters during the unrest, citing the regime’s claims that the protests involved “armed” rioters attacking security forces. At the same time, the US president warned the Iranian regime against executing protesters following legal proceedings, even though thousands have already been killed by gunfire without any trial. According to CNN, Trump has placed growing emphasis on this issue since he was asked in a CBS interview on Tuesday what he would do if Iran were to hang protesters.
In that interview, Trump said he would respond harshly. According to the report, later that evening, he watched videos of public executions carried out in Iran in the past, in which those sentenced were hanged from cranes. On Wednesday night, Trump already signaled that he did not intend to attack Iran, saying he had received “a report from a reliable source” that the killing in Iran had stopped.
According to CNN, Trump was looking for a kind of “signal” from Iran that the killing of protesters would cease. On Thursday, Iran denied reports that it intended to execute “the symbol of the protests,” Erfan Soltani, a protester arrested near Tehran last Thursday whose family said he had been convicted in a summary trial and sentenced to death. Trump quickly described the Iranian statement as “good news,” alongside reports at the time that he had decided to postpone an attack on Iran.
Meanwhile, it emerged Friday evening that Trump had spoken again with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the second time within 24 hours. Netanyahu, according to reports, asked Trump during their previous conversation on Wednesday to delay the strike. CNN reported overnight that one of the reasons Netanyahu sought a delay was concern over the condition of Israel’s missile defense systems. The report said those systems “were heavily used during the war between Israel and Iran last year,” and that officials in Jerusalem also did not believe the Iranian regime would “collapse quickly without a prolonged operation.”
According to reports in the United States, there was also significant doubt within the US administration over whether a strike at this stage, even a large-scale one, could bring down the regime. Trump sought to avoid a broad confrontation and preferred a “swift and decisive” blow that could serve as a knockout punch to end the regime, but according to the reports, his advisers could not guarantee that a US attack would achieve that goal.
At the same time, Trump and his aides have refused to rule out the possibility of a future strike. According to Fox News, the US military has now begun moving assets to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier, meaning the option has not been taken off the table.
First published: 20:51, 01.16.26