Media Shocked Iran Responds to US Threats, Again
Newsweek highlighted Iran's reaction to then-President Trump’s '60 Minutes' comments where he vowed unspecified retaliation. The predictable 'hitting back' frames Iran as an instigator, conveniently sidestepping the US's long record of regime change attempts, crippling sanctions (intensified after Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018), and military encirclement. One might recall the
1953 US-orchestrated coup against Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, installing the Shah, whose brutal rule fueled the 1979 revolution – a mere historical detail often airbrushed from such narratives. This 'Iran hits back' framing is a tired trope, implying unprovoked aggression. It whitewashes the extensive history of US sanctions, military presence in the Gulf, and
explicit threats of war. How many times must a nation 'hit back' before the media questions the narrative that paints them as solely reactive targets rather than active participants in a complex geopolitical struggle?