US President Donald Trump stated he will coordinate with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on ending the war with Iran, prompting derision from domestic Iranian media as the country officially names its new Supreme Leader.
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, March 8, that any decision to end the ongoing war with Iran will be made jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The remarks, given during a telephone interview with the Times of Israel, coincided with Iran’s Assembly of Experts officially declaring Mojtaba Khamenei as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.
According to DW Persian دویچهوله فارسی, a Western-based international broadcaster generally critical of the Iranian government, Trump emphasized that while Israel's views are considered, he will make the final decision at the appropriate time. Highlighting the US-Israel military cooperation, Trump stated, "Iran intended to destroy Israel and its surrounding areas. We, with each other's help and cooperation, destroyed a country that wanted to destroy Israel." When asked if Israel might continue fighting if US strikes cease, Trump replied, "I don't think that will be necessary." DW Persian also reported that Mojtaba Khamenei's election was achieved with an overwhelming majority under pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Furthermore, the broadcaster highlighted Trump's prior remarks to ABC News warning that the new Iranian leader won't last long without White House approval.
Conversely, a network of domestic, state-aligned Iranian channels, including آخرین خبر تهران, framed the US President's remarks with hostility and derision. The channel headlined its coverage by mocking the American President as being in the illusion of ending the war and obedient to Netanyahu. Faithfully reflecting the state narrative, the regional channels reported that Trump is consulting with the prime minister of the Zionist regime regarding the conflict.
Regarding the ascension of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei to the role of Supreme Leader of the revolution, domestic channels highlighted Trump's brief, non-committal reaction to the Times of Israel where he stated, "We will see what happens." This specific remark was heavily amplified as a breaking alert by خبرفوری ࡆ اخبارفوری مذاکره ࡆ جنگ فوری, a hardline channel aligned with the Axis of Resistance, which characterized it as Trump's first official reaction to the appointment of Iran's new leader.
The domestic Iranian channels (the 'Akharin Khabar' network) utilized an identical syndicated text template across multiple regional variants (Tehran, Mashhad, Mazandaran, East Azerbaijan, Kurdistan). The framing strictly bifurcates between DW Persian's focus on Trump's explicit military threats and internal IRGC political pressure, and domestic media's focus on mocking Trump's perceived subservience to Israel. Biased terminology like Zionist regime and Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei were preserved without quotes to faithfully reflect the domestic editorial posture as instructed.