{"id":3594,"date":"2026-02-12T23:27:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T23:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/3594\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T23:27:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T23:27:11","slug":"iranian-diplomat-in-geneva-seeks-asylum-in-switzerland-sources-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/3594\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian diplomat in Geneva seeks asylum in Switzerland, sources say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among Iranians inside the country and across the diaspora, the pause is increasingly interpreted not as restraint but as a dangerous limbo. <\/p>\n

Calls for decisive military action are now openly framed as a necessary step to halt executions and mass violence, while hesitation is seen as compounding an already unbearable strain.<\/p>\n

In Persian-language commentary circulating widely online, Trump\u2019s posture is described as calculated ambiguity rather than caution. <\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s public gestures, including a post thanking Iran\u2019s leadership and authorities for not executing detained protesters, are dismissed by critics as deliberate misdirection. They say the aim is to buy time while the United States strengthens its offensive and defensive military position in the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shadow of a Trump attack on Iran has not disappeared. He uses his intelligence for deception more than for anything else. His post thanking Khamenei and the authorities is also deceptive. He is buying time to reach a strong offensive and defensive military position in the Persian Gulf and to decide on a surprise strike at the optimal moment,\u201d wrote a user.<\/p>\n

For many, the conclusion is blunt: military confrontation is inevitable. <\/p>\n

\u201cA military attack on the clerics is inevitable. You shouldn\u2019t get too caught up in daily noise. The same fluctuations existed before the 12-day war. The only course is to keep documenting the clerics\u2019 crimes and to keep demanding and applying pressure on the United States and Israel for a maximal attack,\u201d wrote another one.<\/p>\n

\"AA burned-out car and bus continue to smolder in Saadatabad in northern Tehran on January 10, as crowds gather nearby during an overnight protest.<\/p>\n

Trump remarks fuel disbelief and anger<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s own comments have inflamed skepticism. “We have been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, it has stopped, it’s stopping,” he told reporters<\/a> in the Oval Office Wednesday afternoon. “And there’s no plan for executions or an execution or executions. So, I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about it.”<\/p>\n

He also said on Friday: “Nobody convinced me, I convinced myself. You had yesterday scheduled over 800 hangings. They didn’t hang anyone. They cancelled the hangings. That had a big impact.”<\/p>\n

Public reaction to Trump\u2019s remarks was colored by memories of past crises and government narratives that later unraveled. <\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Mr. Trump,\u201d one user wrote, \u201cthey also told us they didn\u2019t shoot down the Ukrainian plane.\u201d <\/p>\n

The post referenced Flight PS752, which Iranian authorities denied downing in 2020 for several days before acknowledging it was downed by Iranian missiles, hardening skepticism.<\/p>\n

Ambiguity seen as tactic to preserve leverage<\/p>\n

A recurring theme was Trump\u2019s communication style. \u201cThis is Trump\u2019s usual way,\u201d one post read. \u201cMaybe they called me, maybe I\u2019ll negotiate, maybe I\u2019ll attack, maybe I\u2019ll attack first then negotiate. He uses this tactic to confuse his audience.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AnAn undated photo shows protesters march through a street in Isfahan at night as a small fire burns along their route. <\/p>\n

Others argued the statements were designed to establish a record. \u201cPolitics is complex,\u201d one user wrote. \u201cHe said that so if an attack happens tomorrow, the world won\u2019t grab him asking why you struck. He can say, \u2018I warned them and they didn\u2019t listen.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Debate over patience, pressure and timing<\/p>\n

Social media has also become a forum for strategic debate among Iranians about the role of time, restraint and foreign intervention. \u201cThis movement didn\u2019t begin with hope for an American attack,\u201d one wrote. \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t end with despair over not getting one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others emphasized endurance. \u201cAs long as people remain in the streets, we won\u2019t lose hope,\u201d another post said, arguing that internal pressure, not foreign strikes, would determine outcomes \u2013 even if outside action could shorten the path.<\/p>\n

A more tactical strand of discussion focused on military logistics. Users pointed to reports of aircraft carrier movements, troop redeployments and regional preparations as signs that delay does not equal abandonment. \u201cAll these movements mean money, cost,\u201d one post read. \u201cEven if Trump orders it today, it takes weeks \u2013 equipment, transport, doctors, food.\u201d<\/p>\n

One argued that an immediate strike could trigger indiscriminate retaliation across the region \u2013 from Iraq and the Persian Gulf to Israel \u2013 and even false-flag attacks blamed on outside powers, invoking the PS752 precedent. In that view, delay allows for planning aimed at minimizing civilian casualties.<\/p>\n

Some took a more psychological angle. \u201cThe fact that Trump hasn\u2019t attacked yet has frayed your nerves,\u201d one user wrote, \u201cimagine what it\u2019s doing to the nerves of the security forces.\u201d The argument suggests waiting itself can function as pressure, exhausting those tasked with maintaining control.<\/p>\n

Some also expressed relief that no strike had occurred, arguing that a rushed or limited attack could be politically symbolic rather than decisive, allowing leaders to disengage without addressing deeper risks. \u201cTrump isn\u2019t looking for a battle he can\u2019t win,\u201d one post said, suggesting preparation signals calculation rather than retreat.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestersProtesters gather on Afifabad Street in Shiraz on January 8, 2025 as flames rise in the background during overnight unrest.<\/p>\n

For a society already accustomed to crisis, the waiting has become its own ordeal<\/a>. Each day without action brings more frustration. As one user put it, half-joking and half-resigned, \u201cUntil news of an attack on Iran comes directly from Trump\u2019s account, I won\u2019t believe anything anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the absence of certainty, Iranians continue to debate, wait and endure at one of the most sensitive moments in the country\u2019s modern history where thousands have been killed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Among Iranians inside the country and across the diaspora, the pause is increasingly interpreted not as restraint but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3595,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[65,3188,3294,3290,3287,3288,3291,3285,3289,3286,3292,239,3293],"class_list":{"0":"post-3594","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-geneva","8":"tag-geneva","9":"tag-iran","10":"tag-iran-and-china","11":"tag-iran-covid","12":"tag-iran-economy","13":"tag-iran-government","14":"tag-iran-media-iran-and-the-united-states","15":"tag-iran-news","16":"tag-iran-nuclear","17":"tag-iran-politics","18":"tag-iran-us","19":"tag-middle-east","20":"tag-us-sanctions"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}