Iranian-American journalist and political analyst Negar Mortazavi stated at the Doha Global Security Forum that the war against Iran erupted because Netanyahu convinced Donald Trump that Iran was a "paper tiger on the verge of collapse" and believed "it would be quick and easy." She noted that the Trump administration also held this belief in the early stages of the war, but the outcome was precisely the opposite. Mortazavi said that Tehran, including the new generation of leaders who took over after most of the former officials were killed in the war, viewed this as an "existential threat." She revealed that throughout the war, more than 200 officials, including the former Supreme Leader, were assassinated. She added that this demonstrates the Iranian leaders' determination to fight back even at the cost of their lives, for whom "it's really death rather than surrender."