Trump cools war fears as region braces for escalation: Is Iran really getting a ‘second chance’?

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

As the region braced for possible escalation, U.S. bases in the Gulf were being evacuated and Washington’s destroyers repositioned in eastern waters when President Donald Trump made remarks that temporarily eased fears of war, saying, “The killing in Iran is stopping.”

Trump, who had previously linked a potential U.S. strike on Tehran to casualty figures, made remarks that briefly eased tensions at a moment when the region appeared on the brink of escalation.

Trump said information he received indicated there were no plans for mass executions. His remarks lowered the level of U.S. threat and were interpreted by many as an indirect signal that the likelihood of a military strike had receded. 

That interpretation was reinforced by a report from AFP quoting a senior Saudi official as saying Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman had persuaded Trump to give "Iran a chance to show good intentions," adding that contacts between those countries and Washington remain ongoing.

The reports coincided with intensified regional diplomatic contacts.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said unrest had ended and the country was under full control. In an interview with Fox News, he said there were no plans whatsoever for executions in Iran.

Araghchi also told his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, in a phone call that Tehran would firmly defend its national sovereignty against any foreign intervention. 

The call came a day after Riyadh informed Tehran it would not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military action against Iran, a message widely seen as aimed at de-escalation amid heightened U.S. pressure.

The verbal easing of tensions was reflected in a lower security alert level at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, following heightened measures imposed on Wednesday.

Inside Iran, protests have slowed compared with previous days, largely due to a tightened security crackdown and internet disruptions. 

Authorities have spoken of a return to “calm” in most cities, while human rights organizations say the death toll has exceeded the thousands, without providing a precise figure, and that arrests are continuing, though at a slower pace.

Between Trump’s public stance and military movements across the region, a long-established rule of warfare remains: War is deception, and when you are capable of striking, you must appear incapable of doing so.