Madness or bluster? Trump’s apocalyptic language raises key questions
A last-minute ceasefire halts threat to wipe out Iranian civilisation, but fuels questions about Trump’s negotiating style and mental state
The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once revelled in the appearance of solving conflicts turned to the language of annihilation as he struggled to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran.
US President Donald Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme on Tuesday as he warned “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz.
The Republican president’s comments drew shock around the globe, with condemnation in the US coming from Democrats, some “Make America Great Again” supporters who have since broken with Trump, and the first American pope. Some fellow Republicans suggested his comments were a negotiating tactic.
It followed his threats in recent days that he would be “blasting Iran into oblivion” and “back to the Stone Ages!!!” He said he would blow up bridges and civilian power plants, which experts in military law said could constitute a war crime. And on Easter morning, he wrote on his social media account: “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b*******s, or you’ll be living in Hell.”
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US and Iran agree to 2-week ceasefire amid Pakistani mediation efforts
Just over an hour before his 8pm deadline (8am Wednesday Hong Kong time), Trump announced he was pulling back from his threats of widespread strikes, subject to Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it had accepted a two-week ceasefire in the war.