Larijani Accuses Trump of Deception, Warns of U.S.-Israeli ‘Psy-War’

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) — Senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Larijani, delivered a critique of U.S. President Donald Trump and the Israeli government, accusing them of strategic miscalculations, deceit, and underestimating the resilience of the Iranian people during the recent 12-day war. His comments were broadcast on Iranian state television and reported by the IRIB News Agency.

Larijani, a longtime political figure and close aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, began by charging that Trump had knowingly planned the Zionist regime’s attack on Iran, despite misleading the public with his public remarks.

“Trump was aware of the Zionist regime’s attack on Iran and had planned for it, yet misled the public with his statements,” Larijani said. “Just one day before the Zionist regime’s assault, he announced that negotiations with Iran were ongoing, but after the attack, he declared, ‘I had given Iran 60 days, and today is day 61.’ This shows he was being deceitful.”

He emphasized that Trump’s earlier suggestion that he would wait two weeks for diplomacy was merely a tactical ruse. “Trump initially claimed he would wait two weeks for Iran to reach a resolution, but that was just a ruse; two days later, he gave the order to attack Iran.”

Referring specifically to the tenth day of the war, Larijani pointed to the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “Trump’s order resulted in attacks on the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz,” he said. “Immediately after these attacks, the U.S. Secretary of Defense said in an interview that ‘we destroyed Iran’s entire nuclear industry, and now we must decide how to end the war.’”

Larijani contended that U.S. and Israeli efforts to destabilize Iran through psychological operations failed. “The enemies of Iran attempted to disrupt public order through psychological operations but failed,” he asserted. “The people came to the scene and stood behind the system. Now, the United States and Israel are seeking to end the war.”

He warned that Trump’s unilateral declaration of deadlines undermined international institutions. “When Trump says ‘I gave you 60 days to surrender,’ it means that the Security Council and other international bodies have no value whatsoever.”

Larijani denounced such foreign pressure as hollow, labeling it a form of psychological warfare. “These remarks are evidence of the hollowness of foreign threats and pressure, which serve merely as tools of deception and psychological warfare.”

Turning to regional dynamics, Larijani expressed gratitude for the solidarity shown by neighboring Arab states. “Israel was trying to distance other countries from Iran, but the Arab countries stood behind the Islamic Republic,” he said.

Highlighting the nature of modern warfare, Larijani added, “They said they waged war with technology,” implying that technology alone was insufficient against Iran’s national resolve.

Larijani also revealed that he had received direct threats during the conflict. “During the recent war, I received a call and was told, ‘You have 12 hours to leave the country or your life is in danger. You’ll be sent to your friends Martyr Bagheri and Martyr Salami,’” he said. “I knew where they were calling from and gave a response befitting Mr. Netanyahu.”

He went on to accuse Israel and the United States of miscalculating the Iranian public’s loyalty to the government. “These countries believed that in this war, the people would quickly distance themselves from the government, but the people proved them wrong.”

Larijani claimed that Israel had even devised a plan to assassinate Iran’s top political figures. “Israel planned to target the heads of the branches of government, and then move on to the Supreme Leader — but they failed in that plan as well.”

According to Larijani, early in the conflict, Iran’s military was at a disadvantage. “At the start of the war, Iran’s military power was inferior to Israel’s, and Monday of the first week of the war was a very critical day. But our armed forces shifted the balance.”

He emphasized that the miscalculations of Israel and the U.S. stemmed from their misunderstanding of Iran’s historical and cultural identity. “The Zionist regime and the U.S., by ignoring the culture, civilization, and historical identity of the Iranian people, were unable to accurately assess the nation’s resilience — and this was a key factor in the failure of their efforts to collapse the system.”

The resilience of the Iranian people, he argued, was the decisive factor. “The enemies thought that during the war, the Iranian people would turn away from the system. But contrary to their expectations, the Iranian nation stood by the system with even greater unity and cohesion.”

Referring again to Israel’s failed targeting strategy, Larijani stated, “Israel intended to move on to the Supreme Leader after attacking senior officials — but this plot was thwarted through vigilance and resistance.”

He described the pivotal moment in the war. “The vital decisions made on Monday of the first week played a decisive role in changing the course of the war in Iran’s favor.”

Larijani concluded by stating that U.S. and Israeli strategies collapsed due to Iran’s strong social fabric and historical resistance. “Israel had designed a series of operations to bring down the Islamic Republic, but due to their lack of understanding of Iran’s cultural foundation, resistance, and historical identity, those calculations failed.”

He added, “America and Israel thought they could topple Iran’s system in five or six days — but this was a complete miscalculation.”

The senior advisor also revealed that mediation efforts began on June 21, with international actors recognizing that “the Zionist regime was in a difficult position.”

Finally, he credited Iran’s missile program with playing a decisive role in shifting the momentum. “With the strengthening of Iran’s missile capabilities, the state of the war shifted significantly in Iran’s favor.”