President Trump sends grim message to Iran: ‘A whole civilization will die tonight’
TheGrio...
A spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the peacemaking international body was “alarmed” by Trump’s rhetoric on social media.
President Donald Trump sent another grim message to Iran hours before a deadline he gave the adversarial Gulf country to open up the Strait of Hormuz or be at risk of U.S. strikes on civilian infrastructure–which many leaders and experts say will amount to war crimes.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the 8 p.m. ET deadline he set for Iran, which is currently blocking oil ships from passing through the Strait and driving up U.S. and global gas prices.
“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. 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?” the U.S. president continued. “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
Trump’s threat to annihilate an entire civilization, which includes innocent civilians and children, comes a day after he doubled down on his threat to bomb power plants and bridges if Iran did not stop its blockade at the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway where more than 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas is transported. The Iranians have been blocking the Strait since President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched joint military strikes against Iran, claiming the Islamic country posed an imminent threat to their security.
President Trump and administration officials have faced political and economic headwinds over the month-long war in Iran, which remains unpopular with Americans. The Trump administration has struggled to lay out the claimed imminent threat that required military intervention, and the president and officials have provided conflicting reasons for sending troops to the Middle East.
Members of Congress, mostly Democrats, and international leaders have condemned President Trump’s vow to strike civilian infrastructure, which they say would amount to a war crime.
“This is an extremely sick person. Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, and the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, in response to Trump’s Tuesday morning post.
A spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the peacemaking international body was “alarmed” by Trump’s rhetoric on social media, threatening to attack civilian infrastructure should Iran not agree with the U.S. president’s demands.
“The Secretary General’s been very clear on issues regarding international law and he urges yet again all parties to abide by their obligations regarding the conduct of these hostilities. And he recalls that civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, may not be attacked,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
He continued, “Even if specific civilian infrastructure were to qualify as a military objective, international humanitarian law would still prohibit attacks against them if they may be expected to cause excessive incidental civilian harm. Once again, the Secretary General reaffirms that it’s high time for the parties to stop this conflict as there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes.”