Trump Threatens Iran With 'Stone Age' But His Aides Say Tehran 'Not Feeling The Pain'

Last Updated:April 02, 2026, 10:54 IST

In public messaging, Trump tom-toms that Iran is weak and close to surrender. However, the private assessment reveals that Iran is holding firm and not conceding

Donald Trump on Thursday warned that Iran could be pushed “back to the Stone Age" if negotiations to end the war, which is in its fifth week, fail. While the threat may seem like aggressive posturing by a superpower, signals from within the US President’s own camp point to a very different reality.

According to an Axios report, Donald Trump’s escalating threats are driven by frustration that Tehran is not yielding under pressure. The report notes that US officials close to the US President believe Iran is “not losing the war" and therefore has little incentive to concede, directly undercutting Trump’s repeated claims that victory is near.

“The Iranian military leadership has lost so much but they’re not feeling the pain and there’s a discussion about testing their pain tolerance," a confidant who spoke with Trump about the war was quoted as saying by Axios.

The assessment aligns with an earlier Axios report that senior US officials and negotiators see little chance of a quick deal, with one official bluntly saying there is “zero chance" of agreement under current positions.

ALSO READ | Trump Wants Kharg Island. Three Reasons Why Capturing Iran’s Oil Hub May Not Be Worth It

It also contrasts sharply with Trump’s own statements to allies that Iran is “about to surrender," a claim reported by Axios based on conversations with G7 officials, according to The Business Standard.

Meanwhile, Iran has publicly denied seeking a ceasefire and insists it will continue the conflict, further reinforcing the view that Tehran is holding its ground rather than backing down, The New York Post reported.

Why Iran May Not Be Backing Down

The internal US assessment that Iran is “not losing" offers a clue to Tehran’s strategy.

From Iran’s perspective, it has absorbed initial strikes without systemic collapse. It also retains regional leverage through proxies and geography. Apart from this, Tehran is betting that the US faces political, economic, and military limits to prolonged escalation.

As long as Iran believes it can withstand pressure without existential damage, there is little incentive to concede quickly, especially under maximalist US demands such as dismantling its military capabilities and nuclear programme.

ALSO READ | 12 Times Trump Said The Iran War Would End And Why It Hasn’t Happened Yet

This helps explain why, despite Trump’s threats, including potential strikes on energy and civilian-linked infrastructure, there has been no visible move toward capitulation.

Why This Matters

Taken together, these strands reveal a widening gap. In public messaging, Trump tom-toms that Iran is weak and close to surrender. However, the private assessment reveals that Iran is holding firm and not conceding.

ALSO READ | ‘Always Knew They Were Paper Tigers’: Trump Says He’s Strongly Considering Pulling Out Of NATO’

That gap is key to understanding Trump’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric. If Iran is not backing down, as his own inner circle suggests, then the options ahead narrow to two: forced escalation or a difficult, drawn-out negotiation.

This also suggests the conflict may be entering a more dangerous phase, where the US seeks to force a breakthrough through overwhelming force, or both sides settle into a prolonged standoff with intermittent escalation.

News explainers Trump Threatens Iran With 'Stone Age' But His Aides Say Tehran 'Not Feeling The Pain'

Read More