How Trump is making Iranian leaders paranoid.

On March 23, Trump announced that Iran had approached Washington in hopes of negotiating after the United States threatened to strike the country’s energy infrastructure. “They called, not me,” he said. “They want to reach an agreement, and we are fully prepared.” He also claimed that the United States had been in contact with “someone high up” in Iran, but it was not the new supreme leader, adding, “We don’t know if he is alive.”

At the same time, he indicated a five-day deadline before carrying out the threat of strikes on major Iranian power plants. The price of oil dropped following these statements, while the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied any discussions of this nature.

The significance of Trump’s declarations lies not only in the information they contain but also in their purpose. Trump is actually attempting to target two goals simultaneously. Firstly, he is using ambiguity as a political and psychological weapon within the Islamic Republic. By claiming to have communicated with a very senior Iranian official without naming them, he sows doubt and suspicion.