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US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has veered between escalating military action against Iran and backing peace talks. He’s agreed to ceasefires – and carry on firing. Now he’s giving even more signs that he does not know what he is doing.
The latest surprise came on Friday, 14th August. Speaking to law enforcement officials in New York, Trump told his audience that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz to be US territory. A number of responses come to mind.
•What? Why? How?
•No, you fool: it was Canada and Greenland you wanted to take over as US territory, not Iran. Iran’s the one you want to send back to the Stone Age. Remember?
•You’ve issued that threat twice before, to two other countries and it didn’t work. All you did was alienate Canada, Greenland and Denmark (and Europe). How is saying that going to help your war on Iran?
•Do you really think you are winning the war on Iran?
It’s the last response that’s the most to the point. The Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the USA and Iran has not been a ceasefire or a basis for negotiation. The USA has carried out air strikes against various targets in Iran, and Iran has fired missiles at neighbouring states which it sees as US allies. Talks take place in name, without making progress.
US military ships waft about in the Strait. They fired on a cargo ship a few days ago, which they said was trying to get through to Iran. This does not amount to keeping the Strait open. Yet Trump told his audience on Friday, “You just have to remember that what we’re doing is a great service for the world. Not only for ourselves, for the world. The blockade is unstoppable. It’s a wall of steel.”
Iran is in control of the Strait and in no hurry to open it to commercial shipping for free any time soon. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for legal and international affairs commented on Trump’s statement, saying, “The Strait of Hormuz cannot be taken over by a tweet, nor by an aircraft carrier, nor by issuing a decree, nor by an election speech. Iran is neither afraid of threats nor intimidated by a show of force.”
Yet Trump said on Friday that, “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.” Trump may believe that if he says he is winning often enough, US voters will believe him. But if he carries on not winning, his cover will be blown.
The Great Pretender was a reasonably inoffensive song first released in the 1950s. It is not a title the US President should be adopting. US voters deserve better. The people of Iran deserve better.
●Read more about it:
Trump clueless as ceasefires break around him
Trump: in a hole and keeping on with the digging
