On the twelfth day of the fighting, global audiences were left bewildered by Trump.
Early Tuesday morning Beijing time, he casually told CBS cameras: this war is almost completely over, America is far ahead of schedule.
Before his words even settled, the Pentagon's account posted a blunt message: "We are just beginning to fight."
A few hours later, Defense Secretary Hegseth delivered a follow-up blow at a briefing: today will be the most intense day yet, with maximum fighter jets and bombers about to deploy.
A reporter asked Trump: who is right, you or the Defense Secretary? Trump answered without blushing: "I think both are right."
By evening, he switched to another version: "We have achieved victories in many areas, but not enough. We will move forward with more determination than ever before to pursue final victory."
Same day, same president, four completely different scripts.
This isn't a head of state's war address—it's a desperate gambler at the card table talking incoherently.
The BBC was left dumbfounded, saying the president's messaging is dizzying. Those trying to find clues about when the war will end end up with more questions than answers.
But anyone with basic financial knowledge can see through Trump's true intentions—he's manipulating the market.
Forbes magazine noticed that after Trump told an interviewer the war would soon end, international oil prices plummeted accordingly, with Brent crude falling from near $120 back down.
US stocks also bounced back from the dead, with the three major indices turning red by close after falling sharply at market open.
But by Tuesday evening before US market open, Trump again signaled through Fox News that he might be willing to talk with Iran, sending oil prices into violent swings again.
This isn't commanding a war—this is using presidential authority to do swing trading on stock and oil markets.
Needing to reassure voters terrified by oil prices on one hand, and maintain military pressure on Iran on the other, Trump wished he could split himself in two—one side playing the villain, the other the good cop.
But the problem is, Iran isn't cooperating with the script.
Iran's deputy foreign minister Araghchi put it bluntly: the primary condition for ceasefire is no more aggression, and Iran has final decision-making authority on the situation.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf was even harsher: we will not seek a ceasefire, we must strike back hard at the aggressors and make them never dare to invade Iran again.
Trump warned that if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, America will deliver twenty times more fierce strikes than before.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman fired back: you're using lies and deception to apply psychological pressure, the end of the war is decided by Iran, not by Trump.
What really infuriates Trump is that the old Khamenei he personally eliminated has now been replaced by a younger version who's standing up again.
After the new Supreme Leader Mujtaba took the oath, millions of Iranians poured into the streets to pledge loyalty. Iranian media says the new leader will give a speech in hours, though delayed repeatedly due to security concerns, but the regime machinery still runs.
A CNN commentary piece laid bare Trump's predicament.
The article says the only direct way to resolve the Strait of Hormuz crisis is for the US Navy to conduct escort operations—which Trump promised to launch last week.
But sources describe the strait's current conditions as a "valley of death," meaning escort missions would place naval vessels in danger, with the sole purpose being to protect tankers, offering no obvious strategic advantage to the war itself.
In other words, Trump now faces a choice: either watch oil prices skyrocket, voters explode, and midterm elections collapse; or send the US Navy into that narrow waterway just 33 kilometers wide, turning warships into live targets for Iranian anti-ship missiles.
What's this called? This is being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Wall Street Journal revealed that due to soaring oil prices and concerns about prolonged conflict causing political backlash, some of Trump's advisors have privately urged him to find an exit plan from the war.
The team recently concluded they need a more aggressive communications strategy to convince the public to support the war, as many consumers are facing gasoline price hikes.
But the problem is, the initiative to exit the war isn't in Trump's hands.
Iran has already made it clear: no hostile forces are allowed to export a single liter of oil from this region.
Any Arab or European country, as long as they expel US and Israeli ambassadors, can pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz starting the next day. This clearly is creating a dilemma for Gulf states—you can't simultaneously ally with America and get an oil transit pass from Iran.
After twelve days of war, Trump's victory narrative has been completely shattered.
He wanted to use decapitation strikes to quickly collapse Iran, instead he created a nationally martyred Iran; he wanted to control the Strait of Hormuz to grip the world's energy lifeline, instead he drove oil to $120 and it backfired on him; he wanted to display American hegemonic lightning tactics, instead he's painted himself into a corner where either the economy or the navy collapses.
More ironic is that the old Khamenei he personally eliminated has become Iran's spiritual icon, become a martyred saint of Islam.
Trump's bombing didn't eliminate Iran's will to resist, instead it sent all the surrender faction within Iran to the dustbin of history.
So you see, after Trump posted another threatening tweet Tuesday evening, the White House press secretary could only come out to smooth things over: the president will determine when Iran is in a position of unconditional surrender. This doesn't mean Iran's regime will come out and announce surrender itself, but when the president believes it no longer poses a threat, it is in a state of surrender.
Translated into plain language: I declare you surrendered, so you're surrendered, even if you're still fighting.
This logic of self-deception reveals Trump's deepest anxiety—he cannot defeat Iran decisively on the battlefield, so he can only use rhetoric to declare victory.
And that new leader hiding in the ruins, that Iran shooting missiles every day, is telling him with the most stubborn attitude:
Go ahead and spin your story, I'll keep fighting. Let's see who gives up first.#Gate广场AI测评官 $BTC
On the twelfth day of the fighting, global audiences were left bewildered by Trump.
Early Tuesday morning Beijing time, he casually told CBS cameras: this war is almost completely over, America is far ahead of schedule.
Before his words even settled, the Pentagon's account posted a blunt message: "We are just beginning to fight."
A few hours later, Defense Secretary Hegseth delivered a follow-up blow at a briefing: today will be the most intense day yet, with maximum fighter jets and bombers about to deploy.
A reporter asked Trump: who is right, you or the Defense Secretary? Trump answered without blushing: "I think both are right."
By evening, he switched to another version: "We have achieved victories in many areas, but not enough. We will move forward with more determination than ever before to pursue final victory."
Same day, same president, four completely different scripts.
This isn't a head of state's war address—it's a desperate gambler at the card table talking incoherently.
The BBC was left dumbfounded, saying the president's messaging is dizzying. Those trying to find clues about when the war will end end up with more questions than answers.
But anyone with basic financial knowledge can see through Trump's true intentions—he's manipulating the market.
Forbes magazine noticed that after Trump told an interviewer the war would soon end, international oil prices plummeted accordingly, with Brent crude falling from near $120 back down.
US stocks also bounced back from the dead, with the three major indices turning red by close after falling sharply at market open.
But by Tuesday evening before US market open, Trump again signaled through Fox News that he might be willing to talk with Iran, sending oil prices into violent swings again.
This isn't commanding a war—this is using presidential authority to do swing trading on stock and oil markets.
Needing to reassure voters terrified by oil prices on one hand, and maintain military pressure on Iran on the other, Trump wished he could split himself in two—one side playing the villain, the other the good cop.
But the problem is, Iran isn't cooperating with the script.
Iran's deputy foreign minister Araghchi put it bluntly: the primary condition for ceasefire is no more aggression, and Iran has final decision-making authority on the situation.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf was even harsher: we will not seek a ceasefire, we must strike back hard at the aggressors and make them never dare to invade Iran again.
Trump warned that if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, America will deliver twenty times more fierce strikes than before.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman fired back: you're using lies and deception to apply psychological pressure, the end of the war is decided by Iran, not by Trump.
What really infuriates Trump is that the old Khamenei he personally eliminated has now been replaced by a younger version who's standing up again.
After the new Supreme Leader Mujtaba took the oath, millions of Iranians poured into the streets to pledge loyalty. Iranian media says the new leader will give a speech in hours, though delayed repeatedly due to security concerns, but the regime machinery still runs.
A CNN commentary piece laid bare Trump's predicament.
The article says the only direct way to resolve the Strait of Hormuz crisis is for the US Navy to conduct escort operations—which Trump promised to launch last week.
But sources describe the strait's current conditions as a "valley of death," meaning escort missions would place naval vessels in danger, with the sole purpose being to protect tankers, offering no obvious strategic advantage to the war itself.
In other words, Trump now faces a choice: either watch oil prices skyrocket, voters explode, and midterm elections collapse; or send the US Navy into that narrow waterway just 33 kilometers wide, turning warships into live targets for Iranian anti-ship missiles.
What's this called? This is being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Wall Street Journal revealed that due to soaring oil prices and concerns about prolonged conflict causing political backlash, some of Trump's advisors have privately urged him to find an exit plan from the war.
The team recently concluded they need a more aggressive communications strategy to convince the public to support the war, as many consumers are facing gasoline price hikes.
But the problem is, the initiative to exit the war isn't in Trump's hands.
Iran has already made it clear: no hostile forces are allowed to export a single liter of oil from this region.
Any Arab or European country, as long as they expel US and Israeli ambassadors, can pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz starting the next day. This clearly is creating a dilemma for Gulf states—you can't simultaneously ally with America and get an oil transit pass from Iran.
After twelve days of war, Trump's victory narrative has been completely shattered.
He wanted to use decapitation strikes to quickly collapse Iran, instead he created a nationally martyred Iran; he wanted to control the Strait of Hormuz to grip the world's energy lifeline, instead he drove oil to $120 and it backfired on him; he wanted to display American hegemonic lightning tactics, instead he's painted himself into a corner where either the economy or the navy collapses.
More ironic is that the old Khamenei he personally eliminated has become Iran's spiritual icon, become a martyred saint of Islam.
Trump's bombing didn't eliminate Iran's will to resist, instead it sent all the surrender faction within Iran to the dustbin of history.
So you see, after Trump posted another threatening tweet Tuesday evening, the White House press secretary could only come out to smooth things over: the president will determine when Iran is in a position of unconditional surrender. This doesn't mean Iran's regime will come out and announce surrender itself, but when the president believes it no longer poses a threat, it is in a state of surrender.
Translated into plain language: I declare you surrendered, so you're surrendered, even if you're still fighting.
This logic of self-deception reveals Trump's deepest anxiety—he cannot defeat Iran decisively on the battlefield, so he can only use rhetoric to declare victory.
And that new leader hiding in the ruins, that Iran shooting missiles every day, is telling him with the most stubborn attitude:
Go ahead and spin your story, I'll keep fighting. Let's see who gives up first.#Gate广场AI测评官 $BTC