Iranian officials have told intermediaries that they have been "tricked twice" by President Trump and refuse to be deceived again, according to an Axios report citing sources familiar with the back-channel exchanges [1]. The message, delivered through Omani and Iraqi mediators, signals that Tehran views the operational pause not as a genuine diplomatic opening but as a stalling tactic.

The rhetoric deepens the impasse described in earlier reporting on Iran's denial of the very talks that could avert further strikes. Iranian officials reportedly told mediators that the first deception came during Trump's initial offer of negotiations in early March, which was followed almost immediately by expanded target lists. The second, they claim, was the 30-day pause itself — announced publicly before Tehran had agreed to any terms.

Axios reports that the phrase "tricked twice" has now become a fixed talking point in Iranian diplomatic communications, repeated to at least three separate intermediary delegations over the past week [1]. The formulation is widely interpreted as Supreme Leader Khamenei's personal framing, given its consistency across different channels.

The hardening of Iran's position arrives just three days before the operational pause expires on Friday. With Pakistan offering to host direct talks and the EU pressing for immediate negotiations, the "tricked twice" posture threatens to collapse whatever narrow diplomatic window remains.

-- YOSEF STERN, Jerusalem