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A whole civilization did not die Tuesday night. That’s a good thing.
But, President Donald Trump’s outrageous — and illegal — threats against Iran, only to be met with last-minute backtracking, are still cause for grave concern.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account Tuesday morning. That followed a bizarre profanity-laced Easter Sunday post in which the president threatened power plants and bridges in Iran and said the country would be “living in hell” if it did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping lane for the world’s oil supply.
In the Tuesday morning post, he gave himself a way out of this horrific threat to essentially eliminate Iran. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
Shortly before his made up 8 p.m. (Eastern Time) deadline for wiping out Iranian civilization, Trump blinked. He touted a 10-point peace plan offered by Iran and apparently brokered by Pakistan, and said he would cease further attacks for two weeks if Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed soon after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran in late February. Negotiations are scheduled to begin Friday.
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We’re very glad that, for now, diplomacy appears to have won out over bombastic threats to launch attacks that would violate international law and norms of military engagement, and sow chaos not only in Iran but around the world. But Trump’s style of diplomacy through menacing threats and outrageous brinksmanship is increasingly dangerous.
Thousands of Iranians, including more than 150 school children, have been killed by U.S. and Israeli attacks. At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed during the war, which cost the U.S. more than $1 billion a day. World fuel markets have been roiled by the predictable closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with gas prices rising quickly. The U.S. has lost support of its allies and respect globally for launching attacks based on shifting rationales and with no clear plan for resolution.
Trump has said the attacks were necessary to end the brutal regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was killed in late February, but his son, who many say is more repressive, is now in charge.
Trump said the attacks were needed to end Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons. He bragged that those capabilities, which intelligence officials said were far from reality, were “totally and completely obliterated” last summer.
A White House speech by the president last week, did nothing to address these inconsistent and contradictory statements and claims.
Even as he declared victory late Tuesday, Trump further muddied the goals of the U.S. by suggesting a financial incentive for the attacks in Iran.
“A big day for World Peace!” he posted shortly after midnight. “Iran wants it to happen, they’ve had enough! Likewise, so has everyone else!”
“The United States of America will be helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz. There will be lots of positive action! Big money will be made,” Trump continued. “Iran can start the reconstruction process. We’ll be loading up with supplies of all kinds, and just ‘hangin’ around’ in order to make sure that everything goes well. I feel confident that it will. Just like we are experiencing in the U.S., this could be the Golden Age of the Middle East!!!”
He began the day by threatening that “a whole civilization will die,” and ended it by bragging about opportunities for “big money” to be made in Iran.
This is not rational and it is not how any president of the United States should act and communicate. It also calls into question Trump’s fitness for the office.
With so many bombastic and perilous threats coming from the White House, it is far past time for Congress to play a larger role in assessing and overseeing U.S. operations in Iran. Lawmakers should demand clear, consistent answers to why the U.S. launched attacks and what our goals are. They must also demand a clear definition of what success looks like and how the Trump administration plans to achieve it.
We hope the ceasefire announced Tuesday is real. We hope it gives more level-headed diplomats the time and space to negotiate a way out of a conflict of dubious beginnings that carries the risk of destabilizing not just Iran, but the wider Middle East with consequences around the world.
