Trump spent three days issuing a barrage of public assurances, calmly delivered threats, contradictory signals and eventually a curse-filled damnation of Israeli and Iranian leaders.

For a moment, I imagined seeing Iran again in my lifetime,” said Ms. Saberi, 48, a dual Iranian and American citizen and author who has taken a break from her journalistic career. “I also thought how ridiculous it was that the Islamic Republic wasted decades accusing thousands of women’s rights advocates,