TEHRAN -- Iranian military
officials on Sunday strongly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran had sought a halt to a planned American attack, dismissing the claim as a “lie” while denying reports of any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The sharp rebuke came after Trump announced on Saturday that he had cancelled planned strikes on Iran, claiming that Tehran and “other Middle Eastern countries” had requested time to finalize the framework of a peace deal. On his Truth Social platform, the U.S. president said the sides had agreed to the “perimeters” of a potential deal that would include the “immediate, complete, and total” reopening of the strategic waterway and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.
“Trump’s claim that Iran asked for the attacks to be halted is merely another lie and a desperate attempt to blackmail Persian Gulf rulers and pressure them through threats,” Iranian military officials were quoted as saying.
The officials stressed that Iranian forces remain at the “highest level of readiness” and are prepared for all contingencies.
“If confrontation becomes inevitable, the battlefield will be decisive,” they warned. “At that point, everyone will understand who holds the power and who will have the final say.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman also firmly rejected Trump’s claims that Tehran requested a halt to planned American attacks, stating that the Islamic Republic remains completely unaffected by “threats and rhetoric”.
Esmaeil Baghaei emphasized that Washington’s pattern of threats and retreats is nothing new, noting that the United States has already committed “two or three rounds of intense military aggression” against Iran since the conflict began.
Baghaei expressed bewilderment at the attention given to U.S. officials’ statements, pointing to the repeated baselessness of their claims.
“I sometimes wonder why you pay so much attention to the words of American officials, when their baselessness has been proven to all of us time and again,” Baghaei said.
“Just look at the number of tweets that American officials publish within 24 hours. Just today, for example, the U.S. president declared Venezuela as the 51st state of America in a tweet.”
He stressed that Iran’s policies are driven solely by national interests and are not subject to the “rhetoric and harsh words” of American officials.
“Iran is by no means influenced by the harsh words of others, and national interests and interests will not be affected by threats from American officials,” Baghaei stated.
“The important thing is that the power and authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran is such that the opposing sides know that if they engage in adventurism, they will definitely receive an appropriate response from us.”
Asked directly whether Iran had made any explicit or implicit request — directly or indirectly — for the postponement or cancellation of an attack, Baghaei dismissed the notion.
“Threats and pressure will not cause the Islamic Republic of Iran to deviate from its principled positions,” he declared.
Trump’s Pattern of Threats and Retreats
The latest episode marks another chapter in what analysts describe as a pattern of Washington’s escalating threats followed by last-minute retreats.
Iranian media noted that Trump has now cancelled planned strikes multiple times since the war began, each time claiming that regional leaders had urged him to hold back.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency commented that Trump’s approach — making shocking threats only to back down — demonstrates that he “pursues diplomacy not as a steady, sustainable path based on mutual trust, but rather as a temporary tool alongside military pressure”.
“For Trump, diplomacy and military action are two complementary tools that, depending on the circumstances, are employed to increase pressure, force Iran to retreat, and impose Washington’s desired framework.”
This assessment was echoed by former U.S. envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross, who wrote on X: “Whiplash is the only way to describe the on-again, off-again policy/threats of President Trump toward Iran. They know they can outlast him.”
Iranian Acting Defense Minister Seyed Majid Ebnolreza underscored Tehran’s resolve, stating that every “enemy” threat is perceived as “real and noteworthy” and will be met with increased preparedness.
“We will neither be surprised nor remain passive. We use threats as a basis to increase our preparedness, strengthen our deterrence, and develop our power,” he wrote on social media.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also reiterated Tehran’s readiness to respond decisively to any hostile action. During a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Araghchi made clear that “any hostile action by the U.S. or Israel — or participation or cooperation by regional countries in such actions — would be met with a decisive and proportionate response from Iran’s powerful armed forces”.
A Crisis of U.S. Credibility
The ongoing back-and-forth has raised serious questions about American credibility on the world stage.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Tel Aviv Dan Shapiro observed that Trump’s “climb-down is welcome,” but warned that “no one believes his rationale: that we are somehow on the verge of a diplomatic deal to open the Strait of Hormuz free of Iranian influence or resolve Iran’s nuclear program”.
“Trump makes blustery threats of military strikes, and then backs down. Then he claims major progress toward a deal, but it is clear he is making it up,” Shapiro wrote. “NO ONE BELIEVES ANYTHING HE SAYS.”
“Our allies and partners have long since learned that they can’t trust him -- he tears up deals before the ink is dry: ask Saudi Arabia, Europeans, Canada. But now, as he flails from one declaration to the next, the world knows that his word on U.S. interests, military plans, capabilities, and diplomatic initiatives is also worthless,” he wrote.
“We are stuck in a cul-de-sac. The war was a strategic blunder from day one, and we have only bad options. The least bad way forward is a diplomatic deal to open the Strait, which will unfortunately include some Iranian influence/revenue, modest sanctions relief while maintaining key demands and vigilance on the nuclear program, support for regional infrastructure development to bypass the Strait, and a methodical build-out of an integrated regional defense architecture.”
Shapiro added, “Whether any of this can be achieved with US credibility in tatters, and everyone just waiting for his next tweet contradicting the last, is anybody’s guess.”
Political scientist Robert A. Pape framed the situation in broader strategic terms, asking: “Why does the world’s strongest military keep bluffing?” in reference to what he described as “the end of American empire”.
A CNN poll found that 67 percent of Americans believe Trump’s military decisions in the war with Iran have damaged the United States. Meanwhile, Grok artificial intelligence analysis noted that since the war began, Trump has retreated from his threats at least ten times.