For months, US President Donald Trump has issued nearly daily statements about the war on Iran, ranging from threats of extensive bombing to claims of renewed negotiations. However, many Iranians have grown desensitized to the uncertainty, as noted by Faezeh, a 27-year-old financial firm employee in Tehran; she said she has stopped paying attention to Trump’s statements to protect her mental health.

Trump’s Rhetoric and Economic Impact

“His words certainly impact our lives, but I try to escape this toxic environment of uncertainty by focusing on what I can control,” Faezeh told Al Jazeera. She is not alone in this sentiment — As the war nears its six-month mark, many Iranians are choosing not to chase the constant headlines to preserve their well-being.

This week, the threat of large-scale US military action once again loomed, but the level of expectation and concern among Iranians appeared lower than on April 7, when Trump warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight,” only to later announce a ceasefire.

Changing Political Setting and Media Influence

Roham, a colleague of Faezeh, commented on how Trump’s approach has changed with the rise of social media; “The US used to have presidents who talked less and did more,” he said. “Now, with the role of social media, Mr Trump talks more and doesn’t have to do as much.”

Roham also pointed out that what is missing is not solid decision-making by Trump, but a desire by Iranian authorities to create more space for diverse voices in the country. He added that he sees no chance of that happening soon, noting that “we’re up in the air, and the lack of certainty in our lives has reached a peak.”

Faezeh criticized Trump’s statements as a “repetitive loop” aimed at affecting global markets, while she said that someone making so many contradictory remarks at such a high pace cannot be considered valid in her eyes.

Looking ahead, Faezeh expects the economic situation in Iran to worsen, including a further depreciation of the national currency — Iran’s rial was trading at about 1.91 million against the US dollar in Tehran’s open market on Monday, near an all-time low. In mid-June, the currency had strengthened to about 1.54 million per greenback in reaction to a now-suspended deal between Iran and the US, facilitated by regional mediators.

Trump’s Economic and Political Moves

Trump boasted on social media this week about tanking the rial, using a diagram that said he was “destroying Iran’s currency.” He also claimed there was “massive inflation” in Iran. The Statistical Center of Iran reported an inflation rate of nearly 90 percent for the calendar month ending July 22, compared to the same month a year earlier.

Ali, a product manager at a technology company in Tehran, said Trump mainly cares about stock markets and oil prices — he also looks at those indicators when trying to understand Trump’s statements. “My view is that Trump won’t undertake any serious action in terms of hitting energy infrastructure or launching a ground attack against Iran at least until the Congress elections,” he said, referring to November’s polls in the US.

Ali believes Trump would prefer an agreement that allows him to declare victory — However, he expects the spectre of war to continue hanging over the country in the coming months.

Following reported threats of a “massive attack” on Iran, Trump said on Sunday that talks facilitated by mediators would take place with representatives from Tehran on Monday. Meanwhile, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz were in the final stages with Oman, not with the US.

These on-again, off-again comments from Trump have appeared on state television in Iran as well. A hardline war-focused programme asked Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei if the Trump administration’s claim was true that Tehran had directly or indirectly asked Washington not to attack energy infrastructure and instead focus on negotiations.

“I am sometimes surprised why you put so much stock in comments by US officials that have time and time again proven baseless,” Baghaei said. He added that the Islamic Republic would not back down from its “principled positions,” including maintaining control in the Strait of Hormuz and resisting major concessions on its nuclear programme and the “axis of resistance” of armed forces across the region.

For any long-term deal, Tehran has also requested an effective lifting of harsh US sanctions that have severely impacted Iran’s economy over the past decade, while State TV has urged people to remain prepared for a potentially resumed war, as hardliners deny the possibility of a negotiated solution with Washington.

Earlier this week, a state TV analyst said the US is likely to attempt a combination of moves to topple the Islamic Republic if the war resumes at scale. These include assassinations, infrastructure attacks, propagating internal unrest, border clashes, and a ground offensive in southern Iran.

On Monday, Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, renewed his support for a deal, saying he believes the memorandum of understanding signed with the US in June will act as “the centre of gravity of our foreign relations in the future.”

“We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed. The security of the country, the region and our allies will be enhanced by this memorandum,” he posted on social media.

Hours later, Trump issued another declaration. “Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to the US blockade on Iran’s southern ports.

“Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused, for decades,” Trump added.