‘You’re negotiating with yourself’: Iranian colonel mocks Trump over peace talk claims

Iran’s military spokesperson has openly mocked US president Donald Trump over supposed peace talks. Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Trump was negotiating with himself in a video statement published on 25 March:

The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don’t dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end.

Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?

Zolfaghari’s burn came as Iran rejected a US peace plan and published their own list of demands for any negotiations:

Per a report from the Wall Street Journal, Iran has responded to the Trump administration’s proposal for a ceasefire with demands that far surpass the characterization of maximalist. Iran has demanded the closure of all U.S. bases in the Gulf region, a new Strait of Hormuz… pic.twitter.com/XAQAzkUTsD

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 25, 2026

An Iranian official said the US proposals were “extremely maximalist and unreasonable”. The country also said the fact the US was still deploying troops to the region despite making a lot of noise about diplomacy was suspicious.

Abas Aslani, a fellow at the Centre for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, told Al Jazeera:

Washington’s decision to deploy additional forces to the region sends a signal that the strategy they are pursuing militarily does not align with the tone of their positions in terms of the negotiations.

The leadership of the US 82nd Airborne division have been ordered to the Middle East. The Intercept reported on 25 March:

The deployment includes the division’s “headquarters element,” support staff, and some personnel who manage logistics, planning, and command operations.

The outlet added:

Open source reporting suggests dozens of transport aircraft used to ferry troops and cargo have been flying out of airfields used by America’s most elite commandos, including the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s SEAL Team 6.

A flight-tracking account notes 35 C-17s flying out of airfields including those used by Delta Force (Bragg), SEAL Team 6 (Oceana), two of the three Ranger battalions (HAAF and JBLM), and the 160th SOAR.Looks a lot like staging JSOC in case it’s ordered to do the uranium recovery mission in Iran.

— Wesley Morgan (@wesleymorgan.bsky.social) 2026-03-23T22:58:55.943Z

Mocked by Iran

Al Jazeera reported that up to 50,000 US troops are in the Middle East already:

That includes 200 combat aircraft, as well as two aircraft carriers. In addition to that, we know the 82nd Airborne, composed of 1,000 additional troops, is the latest to supplement that.

As well, two Marine Expeditionary Units, consisting of 5,000 Marines and sailors, are also heading to the region. So again, what we see is the US speaking out of both sides of its mouth, for lack of a better comparison.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker posted on X that Iran was well aware of US plans to occupy coastal islands militarily:

Based on some data, Iran’s enemies, with the support of one of the regional countries, are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands. All enemy movements are under the full surveillance of our armed forces. If they step out of line, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will, without restriction, become the target of relentless attacks.

براساس برخی داده‌ها، دشمنان ایران با پشتیبانی یکی از کشورهای منطقه، در حال تدارک عملیات اشغال یکی از جزایر ایرانی هستند.
تمام تحرکات دشمن تحت اشراف نیروهای مسلح ماست. اگر قدم از قدم بردارند، تمام زیرساخت‌های حیاتی آن کشور منطقه‌ای بدون محدودیت، هدف حملات بی‌امان قرار خواهد گرفت.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) March 25, 2026

Trump has been mocked by Iranian-linked X accounts in recent days:

The Strait of Hormuz will be controlled by me and the Ayatollah😎😁 pic.twitter.com/IxIgo1Pn6S

— Iran Embassy SA (@IraninSA) March 23, 2026

The X posts have portrayed Trump as childish and inept:

Iran owns Trump with the latest Ai meme mocking his efforts at war @realDonaldTrump @WhiteHousepic.twitter.com/Qr5ovPSf7j

— KT "Special MI6 Operation" (@KremlinTrolls) March 23, 2026

One even portrayed America’s stalling war through the medium of Lego:

Iran propaganda slaps pic.twitter.com/qZxikP94nU

— Darth Powell (@VladTheInflator) March 24, 2026

The US-Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. The country was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

Featured image via the Canary