Iran takes startling step believing Trump is 'legitimately mentally ill': enlist help of "senior psychologists"

[Amaryllis]

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-iran-2677034315/

Iran takes startling step believing Trump is 'legitimately mentally ill': enlist help of "senior psychologists"
Alexander Willis
June 12, 2026 2:32PM ET

Amid the ongoing peace talks between Washington and Tehran, Iranian negotiators have recently enlisted the help of “senior psychologists” to help them navigate what they believe to be a pressing issue involving President Donald Trump, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill claimed Friday, citing Iranian sources.

“A couple of weeks ago, the Iranian side added senior psychologists to their negotiating team to review the communications that they were going to be sending to the mediators to give to Trump,” Scahill said during an appearance on the podcast “Breaking Points.”

“They did that because the Iranians believe that Trump is legitimately mentally ill and is operating in an impaired mental state. And they didn't say this as a joke, they didn't say this with any lightness.”

snip

“The [Iranian sources] said 'we recognize that we are dealing with a mentally incapacitated individual and we've had senior psychologists work up a psychological profile of what they think is going on with Trump's brain, and so we started to cater our messages by running them past senior psychologists before delivering them to Trump,'” Scahill continued.

“And they said ‘we started to then see some progress’ – they almost talked about it in a clinical sense like they're dealing with a patient.”

More at link and YouTube interview with journalist

Edited to add: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/07/766450/in-letter-us-counterparts-iranian-psychologists-call-dialogue-trump-mental-health

In letter to US counterparts, Iranian psychologists call for dialogue on Trump's mental health
This is from April but is still highly relevant.

A group of Iranian psychologists, in an open letter to their American counterparts, has urged professional dialogue regarding serious psychological and personality concerns about US President Donald Trump.

The letter, signed by ‘The Iranian Psychological Society,’ calls for a scientific examination of the US president's behavioral patterns, which they say pose a direct threat to global peace.

In the letter, the Iranian psychologists question whether any mechanism exists within the United States to assess and ensure the psychological stability and mental health of the sitting president.

[ananda]

1. A fact on the ground. He's been mentally ill...

for years.

[MarcoZandrini]

23. I think....

…he was born that way.

[ananda]

38. Well, his nazi father wasn't much help, for sure.

...

[I_UndergroundPanther]

45. I agree

Malignant narcissists are born not made. And thier extinction would be the best thing to happen for humanity. A big win for empathy.

Narcissists are the biggest threat to humanities continued existence and sanity.

[chowmama]

2. And in other breaking news, water is wet

What was their first clue?

[lisa58]

52. 🤣🤣🤣

[Ocelot II]

3. Did they just notice?

[Amaryllis]

4. Apparently they noticed before the GOP did. And the media.

[mwmisses4289]

31. The american media and the gop know, they are just ignoring it as long

as they think he will be a useful idiot.

[Martin68]

5. You can be sure every government is getting advice from psychologists on how to handle Trump.

[peppertree]

15. "Ze recommended approach in cases such as zis is quite simple..."

"You BRIBE ze fat bastard!"

[Wednesdays]

34. "It would not be difficult, Mein Fuhrer!"

Nuclear reactors could - heh, I'm sorry, Mr. President - nuclear reactors could provide power almost indefinitely. Greenhouses could maintain plant life. Animals could raised and *slaughtered*. A quick survey would have to be made of all the available mine sites in the country. But, I would guess, that a dwelling space for several 100,000 of our people could easily be provided.

-- Dr. Strangelove

[peppertree]

40. Ja, wohl.

Last edited Sun Jun 14, 2026, 09:13 PM - Edit history (1)

[I_UndergroundPanther]

46. Project25

Says this as a goal.

[Sneederbunk]

6. With or without TSF, these guys have their hands full.

[hlthe2b]

7. Not to miss the main point, which is quite perceptive of the Iranians--but my reaction is to...

Raw Story's characterization of another well known journalist as a "claim" and not that he is "reporting" from Iranian sources. That is infuriating as it suggest Jeremy Scahill, himself, is not to believed.

Damn it Raw Story... the way to write it is:
Amid the ongoing peace talks between Washington and Tehran, Iranian negotiators have recently enlisted the help of “senior psychologists” to help them navigate what they believe to be a pressing issue involving President Donald Trump, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill claimed reported Friday, citing Iranian sources.

I SOOO love to see this nasty bias among reporters... It really helps when we express skepticism among our own to aid the public in identifying trustworthy news sources.

[Amaryllis]

8. Excellent point. He was reporting, not claiming, Big difference!

[Ocelot II]

10. Raw Story is a generally crappy source. They're a left-wing Breitbart featuring mostly clickbait.

Whenever I see a Raw Story article I try to find the original source, in order to avoid both the bias and the clickbait.

[Amaryllis]

13. Breaking Point was the original; the interview wtih the journalist which is the YouTUbe video.

[rubbersole]

27. Rawstory is clickbait.

Pretty much an up-to-the-minute news aggregator with a progressive readership. Their titles can be misleading to a fault. Having said that...I often go there 1st when I've been away from my phone or laptop for more than a couple of hours. They're as current as anybody.

[yellow dahlia]

29. Thank you for the alert call.

If anyone should use their words with precision, it's journalists.

I have noticed that MSNOW is deliberately being more and more accurate with their words and their portrayal of the grifter. They have tried to eliminate the complicity and the sane washing. But they admit it isn't easy.

On the topic of the negotiations this morning - David Rhode answered a question and used the word "deal". He then corrected the word usage and said - our standards team suggest we use the phrase memorandum of understanding, as opposed to "deal". A deal has not been struck...it is a memorandum of understanding, at this point.

Words matter!

[Towlie]

43. That is infuriating as it suggest[s] Jeremy Scahill, himself, is not to [be] believed.

Agree, but it's ironic that you were telling someone else the way to write something.

[hlthe2b]

44. And who SHOULD tell them? We are the audience intended and as one member, i have EVERY

right to call out his bias.

[peggysue2]

9. Holy crap!

The Iranians understand that Trump is mentally ill while MAGA and right-wing supporters continue with the hollow denials.

It's utterly mind-blowing. Iran comes off as the reasonable partner while American diplomacy, such as it is, is run by a crazy person and his no-nothing sycophants.

Once again, the Upside-Down World reveals itself.

[sakabatou]

11. We could've told you that a LONG time ago

[betsuni]

12. Troll whisperers.

[peppertree]

14. It took them THIS long to notice?

Whatever happened to the legendary Iranian perceptiveness?

[Amaryllis]

16. THeir open letter to American shrinks was in April. THat is only a couple months after he dropped the first bombs.

[peppertree]

17. Ah. That sounds more like it.

As an Iranian acquaintance said to me (during his first term):

"In that, is better in Iran: our rulers are also crazy - but we know they are!"

[Amaryllis]

18. Look at the second link in the op. Iranian shrinks write open letter to American shrinks.

[peppertree]

21. I hear you - but as they should know, we're in a kind of 1st-world version of an Idi Amin situation

No one in government or the military seems to be able to restrain, much less remove, Jabba-the-Trump - so no number of psychologists could possibly persuade anyone who actually could, to remove this Psycho-the-Rapist.

[TheRickles]

19. Here's some insightful commenary on this matter, with the framing that Iran is "programming" Trump.

https://www.mind-war.com/p/iran-is-programming-the-president

His site is called "The Psychological War on Democracy".

[yellow dahlia]

30. Bookmarking

[Amaryllis]

39. VEry much worth the read. Thank you. Word is getting around about this.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

50. Thank you for posting this

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Duh.

[BidenRocks]

22. If they can prove Chump insane,

we are on the hook for all his war crimes.
We gave Donny Dementia the keys and a full tank.
Some even gleefully cheered the massacre of civilians.
We allowed this!

[relogic]

24. I'm not going

out on a limb to say any person, seemingly lucid, intelligent and functional to any degree in my assessments is mentally ill by and from supporting maga. Stable individuals (obviously not djt) or people not inclined to destroy rather than build are the counter to insanity.

I will not satisfy them in their utter comfort festering in the mish mash of self destruction abiding in these mercurial, erratic minds incapable of such clarity.

[gulliver]

25. "Iranian psychologists" smh

Iranian Islamic Republic "psychologist": "We want to talk with our colleages in America!"

Dumbest American "psychologist" ever: "Kay"

Islamic Republic psych: "Trump has psychological issues. And Jews...and women who insist on face and hair nudity. You might like our clinical cure for homosexuals. We call it 'slay away the gay.'"

On edit: I hope it's understood that I consider this particular OP and similar to be self-owns. There's absolutely no way our Democratic Party leaders would buy into what the Iranians are selling here.

[Iggo]

26. We (the US) should have done that a long time ago.

Last edited Mon Jun 15, 2026, 09:20 PM - Edit history (1)

I don’t want to see President JD Vance any more than you do, but he’s not Trump. MAGA won’t lick Vance’s asshole like they do with Trump. Nobody in government is afraid of JD Vance. It’ll still be bad, but it’ll be government, not this circus-at-an-insane-asylum that we’ve got going right now.

[Figarosmom]

28. Wow, I wonder if other countries have done this too?

Too bad ours won't take the advice that has been offered by doctors not under his thumb.

[Wednesdays]

32. Which means the Iranians can manipulate him.

Peachy.

[Oneironaut]

33. I think the word of people who think being gay is worthy of death

is worthless. It’s like accepting medical advice from North Korea.

[Wednesdays]

35. I don't think they're offering advice.

Rather, they're using it as an advantage at the negotiating table.

Which is a win for them.

[DFW]

36. The Iranians are grabbing at some very low-hanging fruit

MOST countries, including a majority of ours, think that Trump has not been mentally all there for a long time now. Diplomacy being what it is, almost no officials of any country will dare to say it out loud. But in this case, Iran is just playing the part of the first little boy in the fairy tale to point out: “but the Emperor has no clothes on!” Nobody had dared to state the obvious until then, but finally, the whole town was saying it. It just took one little boy to speak up.

Maybe now, a few more countries will lose their inhibition over stating the obvious.

[sinkingfeeling]

37. They are not alone in that belief.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

41. Iranians say addressing Trump's 'mental illness' head on helped secure deal

The Iranians know that trump is mentally ill and used that knowledge to get a deal

This is brilliant. Everyone knows he's crazy as his handlers deny it excessively. Iran knew what we all know & used it to their advantage. Lousy deal for us, fab move for them.

Iranians say addressing Trump’s 'mental illness' head on helped secure deal: journalist

www.rawstory.com/trump-iran-2...

— ScruffyR (NO LISTS!) (@scruffyr.bsky.social) 2026-06-15T16:27:16.969Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-iran-2677041558/

The United States and Iran reached a tentative agreement Sunday to bring about an end to the war, which one Iranian official involved in the negotiations credited, in part, to Tehran’s unorthodox approach to addressing what they considered to be President Donald Trump’s “mental illness.”

Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill shared a startling revelation last week that Iranian negotiators had recruited psychologists to help navigate what they believed was Trump’s “impaired mental state.” And on Monday, Scahill provided an update on Iran’s unique approach to the negotiations, which he said Tehran partially credited for Sunday’s success.

“Senior Iranian psychologists began working with the negotiating team to try to cater the messages that the Iranians were sending via mediators back to Donald Trump to try to take into account what they say as his specific mental illness and mental deficiencies,” Scahill said in an interview with Democracy Now published on Monday.

“Almost quite clinically, they said [they] began to see this process yielding results as [they] worked with psychologists to send these communications to Donald Trump, and they credit that, in part, with getting to this point where Trump finally accepted some version of his manufactured and almost entirely false victory narrative.”

Trump’s cognitive function has come under renewed scrutiny during his second term in office, with The Washington Post reporting last week that the president was assessed by 22 medical specialists during his most recent medical checkup, a figure “nearly double the number of specialists who assessed Trump for his past medical checkups as president.” The president has also been spotted appearing to doze off during important meetings.

[Amaryllis]

42. Wonder if Trump's people are sharing any of this with him.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

47. The whole world knows Trump is nuts.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

48. Iran played trump like a fiddle

[LetMyPeopleVote]

49. This made me smile

[EdmondDantes_]

51. I assumed this was standard procedure in negotiations

There's a reason companies like Meta use psychologists to drive engagement. Trump being so driven by ego/temper/possible mental illness or decline might make it harder for a normal person to read his next move, it's never a bad idea to get an expert opinion.

[DFW]

53. Not that I have any stake in reducing Iran's deficit, but I can help save them a lot of money

Top psychologists are expensive. I'll give them this for free:

Trump is decaying mentally at an ever increasing rate, and can be colloquially designated as either "off his rocker" or "lost most of his marbles, and is fast on the way to losing the few he has left."

There, didn't cost a cent, did it?