'Liar!': Iranian media mock talks announced by Trump

Iranian newspapers on Wednesday ridiculed what they called Donald Trump’s “lies” about ongoing diplomatic discussions to end the war, publishing cartoons of the US president styled as Pinocchio.

A caricature of Trump with an elongated nose looming over a map of the Strait of Hormuz appeared on the front page of the conservative daily Javan, under the headline “The world’s most pathetic and dishonourable liar”.

On Monday, just hours before the expiry of an ultimatum he had set — threatening strikes on power plants if Iran did not reopen the strategic strait — Trump unexpectedly announced talks with Tehran. Iranian authorities have denied there are any negotiations, direct or indirect.

Javan accused Trump of lying to calm the markets and push down oil prices, which have surged since Israel and the United States launched hostilities on February 28.

Since Iran’s denial, “oil and gas prices have risen once again”, the paper noted, comparing Trump to “a gambler in a slump” in a war he believed he could win quickly, like a lucky hand of poker.

The Tasnim news agency also mocked Trump, showing him with dishevelled hair and a defeated expression.

“The politics of lies,” headlined Sobh-e No (New Morning), echoing other reactions and commentaries across Iranian media.

The spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces also mocked Trump in a video statement widely broadcast on state television, remarking that the US president was “negotiating with himself”.

On Wednesday, the ISNA agency devoted an article to Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the spokesperson omnipresent on television and described as a “war phenomenon”.

Amid warnings in Persian directed at “the enemy” and lists of Iranian military achievements, he sometimes switches to Arabic, Hebrew and even English.

In recent days, Zolfaghari attracted particular attention by altering one of Trump’s signature catchphrases to: “Trump, you’re fired!”