US President Donald Trump is ridiculed for acting like a child when things don’t go his way – but this has done little to change his attitude to international diplomacy. Having found no buyers in the international community for his unilateral decision to end the nuclear accord with Iran, Trump has only one option left: Twitter rants. In an all-caps tweet, Trump recently warned Iran with ‘consequences that few have suffered before’ if the country threatened the US. The message was a reminder to many that Trump fundamentally believes in a playground bully approach to international politics. The tweet came after a stern speech by Iranian President Rouhani, who warned the US against pursuing a policy of war with Iran while remaining open to pursuing a peace dialogue. The White House has claimed that the provocation came from Iran but there are few now that still buy what comes from the Trump administration. Fears that the situation could escalate, however, remain justified. US National Security Adviser John Bolton also joined in his president with a promise that Iran will ‘pay a price.’ Iran has dismissed the statement as having more to do with the US mid-term elections than any thought-out policy.
Let us not forget that Iran had chosen to sit at the talks table and had also given up its nuclear programme in a deal which Trump killed after aligning the US in the Middle East with countries hostile to Iran. War is not a joke and should not be treated as one. Nor is it a threat that should be made lightly. Iran in any case is precariously placed economically. Trump’s statement alone sent its currency into a tailspin in the midst of fears over the country’s economic future in the absence of a deal with the US.
While Europe, Russia and China have remained committed to the existing deal with Iran, they have struggled to find ways to protect from US sanctions those businesses that are still trading in Iran. The first banking sanctions are set to hit in the next three weeks. Moreover, Trump’s rhetoric is a threat to what he claims he wants to do: spur internal reform inside Iran. Inside Iran, President Rouhani has struggled against hawks in the Iranian administration. The nuclear deal decision was made on the grounds that Iran would benefit from participating in the global economy. The Iranian people are still to see the rewards as the Iranian economy remains mired in crisis. The trouble is that this is the second time in two decades that the US has an inept government in power. The last one opened up war fronts that are yet to heal. Fears that the US could do worse are real.