President Trump is threatening to bomb Iran again while a suspected Israeli-backed influence operation floods American social media trying to kill his own peace deal — and the American worker will foot the bill no matter which way this breaks.
Trump signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Iran last week, the first provision of which demands fighting stop "on all fronts, including in Lebanon." But Israel and Hezbollah have continued exchanging fire despite a cease-fire that took effect Friday, and now both foreign proxies and domestic influence campaigns are working to derail the agreement before the 60-day window closes.
On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social: "Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don't, we'll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" He told Fox News' Trey Yingst that Iran's leaders "won't even make it back to your f—ing country" if they close the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened to take over the waterway and charge tolls if America has to act as a "guardian angel" for other nations' oil shipments.
The New York Post framed the story as Trump pressuring Iran to comply, noting he also warned Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian — who declared Iran would not give up enrichment — that "he better watch his mouth." The Post buried the more revealing detail: Trump previously called Netanyahu "f—ing crazy" and told Axios he needs to keep his counterpart "a little bit sane." Last week Trump pressured Netanyahu to stop the Lebanon fighting. By Sunday, the onus had shifted squarely to Iran.
The Gateway Pundit covered what the Post entirely omitted: a coordinated influence operation flooding X with an old, out-of-context video of Secretary of State Marco Rubio from February, presented as current opposition to Trump's Iran deal. Top Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz flagged the pattern Saturday night, warning that "any 'influencer' amplifying those old clips today should not be trusted." Pro-Israel accounts — many newly created — also spread false claims that the deal's reconstruction fund would be paid by American taxpayers. Administration officials, including JD Vance, clarified the fund would be financed by Gulf states and private investors and only released if Iran meets strict conditions.
The foreign lobbying dimension is where the money trail gets sharp. Bruesewitz noted that Israel holds what appears to be the largest FARA-registered contract in history with an American right-wing influencer marketing company, reportedly on track to exceed $46 million in a single year. Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale receives millions each month from Israel to integrate messaging across Salem Media properties, according to The Gateway Pundit. The Times of Israel reported Netanyahu planned to use media figures including Mark Levin to "get his message to Trump." Bruesewitz confronted Levin directly: "Are you working with a foreign government to try and influence the American people's opinion and President Trump's deal with Iran?" A White House insider told The Gateway Pundit: "The White House is tracking online influence campaigns closely, and we strongly disapprove of them."
Peace talks under the MOU finally began Sunday in Switzerland after delays caused by the Lebanon fighting, and could stretch through Tuesday. Key disputes remain — including Iran's enriched uranium stockpile. Iran claimed Saturday it had closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah; U.S. officials say vessels still transited the chokepoint.
Two forces are colliding here: a president trying to extract America from another Middle Eastern quagmire, and a foreign government spending tens of millions to manipulate American public opinion into scuttling the deal. Whether Trump bombs Iran or the influence ops sink the peace, the cost lands on the same people — and the contractors always get paid first.
