Iran fears the US could launch a ‘surprise attack’ despite Donald Trump appearing to dial down the threat of military action in response to the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Hassan Ahmadian, an academic at the University of Tehran, says the Iranian regime is unlikely to believe the threat of US military action has receded after Trump said he has been told ‘the killing has stopped’.
Speaking from Tehran, Ahmadian said that while Trump’s comments signalled a de-escalation in rhetoric from Washington, Iran’s leaders would remain wary of the threat of attack.
‘I think the Iranians will have a hard time believing anything this president says because previously the Iranians were in talks with him and then the country was attacked,’ he said, referring to US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as Washington joined in Israel’s 12-day war in June.
‘There is a possibility of him trying to surprise-attack Iran.’
It comes as Tehran confirmed that protestor Erfan Soltani will not face the death sentence, after President Trump threatened to take military action if the regime executed anti-government demonstrators.
The judiciary said Soltani, 26, is being charged with ‘colluding against the country’s internal security and propaganda activities against the regime’ but that the death penalty does not apply to such charges if they are confirmed by a court.
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Welcome to our Iran live coverage as tensions remain high in Tehran