In a move that sparked widespread controversy, the official account of the White House on the “X” platform published, at dawn today, Sunday, May 17, 2026, a picture of US President Donald Trump in which he appears as the famous movie agent James Bond, under the name “Agent 007,” accompanied by the famous campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” In conjunction with this symbolic image, Trump sent a strongly worded message through his “Truth Social” platform, in which he hinted at the imminence of a new military action against Iran, where he wrote the phrase: “The calm before the storm.” Trump posted a picture of himself showing a huge storm and a number of warships behind him, which political circles interpreted as a direct signal of the possibility of an imminent military attack. In statements he made to the French channel BFM, Trump stressed that Iran will face “very difficult times” if it does not reach an agreement. He added: “The Iranians want to negotiate, but I am not yet sure that an agreement can be concluded.” He added in a sharp tone: “If I do not like the first sentence of the Iranian proposal, I will throw it in the trash. Tehran has two options: either agreement or crushing.” For its part, the New York Times quoted officials in the Middle East that the United States and Israel are making intensive preparations to resume military operations against Iran, likely to begin early next week. In a related context, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed, during a congressional hearing, that the army has “plans to develop attacks when necessary.” Pointing out that Operation Epic Rage, which was halted last month, may resume its activity within the next few days. According to military sources, the options presented include launching intensive air strikes targeting Revolutionary Guard bases and military infrastructure, in addition to scenarios that include landing special forces deep inside Iran to control nuclear equipment, especially in the Isfahan nuclear facility.