Iran has rejected a proposed ceasefire with the United States and Israel.
It comes after an expletive-ridden post from US President Donald Trump, where he demanded the Strait of Hormuz be opened, or else Iran would be “living in Hell”.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister has accused Trump of threatening war crimes, saying strikes on power plants and bridges would target civilian infrastructure and violate international law.
University of Otago international relations expert Robert Patman told The Front Page that the President’s threat is unacceptable and damaging to the US presidency.
“It’s almost like someone’s escaped from the pub and taken over the most powerful country in the world and been unleashed. This sort of barroom talk, bravado and threats will not make Iran’s knees buckle.
“If anything, he will only confirm that he is a weak leader who confuses verbal threats with real strength, and it’s unfortunate. I think it’s very bad messaging by the United States at a delicate time.
“I think it will do nothing to enhance respect for America’s position in this conflict,” he said.
Trump’s supposed deadline for Iran’s co-operation has moved several times since the first bombs fell in February. It is now said to be Tuesday 8pm ET, or Wednesday afternoon NZT.
Trump has also taken aim at Nato allies’ refusal to get involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, singling out Australia, South Korea, and Japan.
“You know who else didn’t help us? South Korea didn’t help us,” Trump said, “You know who else didn’t help us? Australia didn’t help us.
“You know who else didn’t help us? Japan. We’ve got 50,000 soldiers in Japan to protect them from North Korea.
“We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well,” he said.
Patman said this is a clear example of Trump continuing to blame others for problems he helped create.
“Throughout his political career, it’s always been the other guy’s fault. Trump must win everything, and he must lose nothing. He accepts all the credit and none of the responsibility. This is his political style.
“The most baffling thing is that so many countries, including our own, have persisted in a soft-soft approach to the Trump Administration, and it’s got them, what has it got them? Precisely nothing.
“It encourages Trump. How do you deal with a bully? Well, you don’t go on a charm offensive with a bully. You make it clear to the bully that there are red lines they can’t cross. And if you don’t, then they will cross those red lines with enthusiasm.
“So it seems to me that this is the time, it’s way beyond time, but it’s time for liberal democracies to seriously think whether they can persist in a vain attempt to moderate Mr Trump’s behaviour by fawning all over him,” he said.
Meanwhile, our Foreign Minister Winston Peters is travelling to Washington DC, where he’ll meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials.
“The current global context is the most challenging New Zealand has faced in the past 80 years,” Peters said.
“In times as complex as these, we highly value opportunities to meet face to face.”
Peters’ visit to Washington is meant to protect New Zealand’s interests and keep the US engaged in the Pacific, Patman said.
“The question is, is it strategically reading the room correctly to go to a country which has unleashed an illegal war and seek to get closer to it? After all, what Trump is doing is a dire threat to our national interests.
“I do think it’s the right thing to have a dialogue and take the opportunity to speak to the United States. But we can’t gloss over the fact, and so far we have, the official government statements have blamed almost entirely Iran for the attacks that occurred against Iran. And we’ve given none of the blame to the United States.
“If we continue that form in Washington, that will be seen as complicity and tacit support for what’s happening,” he said.
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The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5pm. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
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