Trump Threatens Iran: 'A Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight'

President Donald Trump furthered threats against Iran on Tuesday morning by stating, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will." 

The Details: Less than two hours before the deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, Trump agreed to "suspend the bombing and attack" for two weeks, during which the Strait will reportedly be open. He stated, "We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate." Trump ordered Iran to "Open the F***in' Strait" on Easter Sunday, giving the country the deadline of Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET and threatening, "You'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!"

From The Right: Many commentators on the right criticized or even condemned Trump's rhetoric. Noah Rothman (Lean Right bias) stated in an opinion for National Review (Right), "On the domestic front, remarks like these only make the president's life (as well as that of his fellow Republicans) more difficult." He defended the "instrumental utility in projecting unflinching determination in wartime" and emphasized that Trump has not carried out the threats in question. However, Rothman asserted, "[If] the president was to act on his threat to euthanize the ancient Iranian civilization, that would certainly amount to a violation of the conventions that govern just warfare. But [to Democratic critics], the threats alone constitute a crime of war." He cautioned, "The president's rhetoric should not obscure a careful analysis of what his Pentagon is actually doing."

From The Center: "Trump's threat against Iran marks a grave political and moral decline," declared Responsible Statecraft (Center) in an analysis. "Once a president speaks in those terms, accusations of genocidal threat cease to be fanciful or polemical." The piece noted that the UN Genocide Convention would not likely consider Trump's comments alone as proof of "genocidal mens rea." However, it also suggested that the president's use of the word "civilization" makes it "entirely reasonable to say that Trump has opened the door to accusations that he is threatening genocide."

From The Left: An analysis from The Intercept (Left), along with most other pieces on the left, framed Trump's actions as unambiguously and completely unjust. The outlet gave voice to several officials who flagged the president's comments as blatant threats of war crimes, highlighted US attacks on civilian infrastructure, and emphasized the resulting damage. The piece stated, "Almost 115,200 civilian homes, commercial properties, and other civilian sites have been damaged in the war, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. This includes 763 schools." It reported a civilian death toll of over 2,000, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, and echoed concerns for a potential environmental crisis due to strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

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