On January 15, the media, including Agence France-Presse, reported that Trump was persuaded to abandon the attack on Iran by the authorities of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.
In particular, Arab countries, in the course of non-public contacts, indicated to the American administration that an attempt to overthrow the Iranian regime would be a shock to oil markets and ultimately harm the US economy.
Journalists asked Trump on January 16 whether Arab and Israeli authorities had tried to persuade him not to strike Iran.
“Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself,” the American president replied.
According to Trump, his decision was greatly influenced by the fact that Iranian authorities canceled more than 800 executions and “didn’t hang anyone” on January 15.
Context
On December 28, 2025, massive anti-government protests began in Iran amid economic problems in the country. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the protesters “rebels” and called for a crackdown on the demonstrations. Clashes arose between protesters and law enforcement officers, which, as Reuters wrote, became the bloodiest in the last three years.
The media wrote on January 13, 2026 that 12 thousand protesters died in Iran, most of them in two days.
Earlier, on January 10, the Iranian army announced its readiness to join in the suppression of protests in the country. Iran's Prosecutor General threatened to execute protesters. On the same day, Trump said that the United States was ready to come to the aid of Iran.
On January 13, Trump tweeted that “help is on the way.”
Reuters wrote on January 14, citing two European officials, that a US operation against Iran “looks likely” and could begin in the next 24 hours. However, on January 15, Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said that Trump had already informed Tehran that he “will not attack the country.”
The WSJ reported on January 15 that anti-government protests have declined sharply in Iran due to government brutality against protesters.
