Donald Trump threatened a “whole civilisation will die tonight” as he increasingly appears determined to unleash the full force of the American military if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz
A subtle sign nestled in Donald Trump’s latest horrifying threat against Iran could be proof he has already lost the war in the Middle East, a body language expert has told the Mirror.
Tetchy Trump once again threatened what remains of Iran’s leadership to open the Strait of Hormuz ahead of his 8pm Eastern (1am Wednesday, UK time) deadline.
Taking to his social media platform TruthSocial, the US President said a “whole civilisation will die tonight, never be brought back again.”
The post added: “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
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Trump’s latest tantrum was met with condemnation, including from presenter Piers Morgan who branded the statement as “a brazen pre-admission of genocide against the Iranian people, which would obviously be a war crime.” The post will also add to increased criticism of Trump’s handling of the war, which has seen the price of oil spike across the globe.
While Trump’s comments have sent a chill down the spines of many observers, body language expert Judi James told The Mirror the post appeared to be “hyperbolic” and could hint he has lost control of the war.
“Trump claims here that tonight will be ‘one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World’ and the enduring, historic legacy that will be left from this moment in time will be that sweary, grammatically-challenged post from the night before; the sight of him discussing the situation alongside the Easter bunny at a children’s egg-roll and now this final warning of doom, where he uses social media to announce that ‘A whole civilization will die tonight’,” she said.
“Are there clues planted in the wording of this being a hyperbolic, brinkmanship threat aimed at achieving a sudden truce? Because Trump has also clearly opted to create a sense of indecision that seems to imply ‘it’s your call’.
“The word ‘probably’ in ‘but it probably will’ (happen); the words ‘We will find out tonight’ and the use of capitals for his ‘WHO KNOWS?’ seem crafted to suggest it is up to the other side here. You can almost see the shrug when he writes ‘I don’t want that to happen’.
“The tone of anger and frustration that saturated the previous post seems to have subsided here, but that doesn’t mean this message reads any less chilling. It’s hard to equate a social media post like this with the kind of terms and implications it implies. It’s a method of communication we all normally use for less formal thoughts like wishing each other a Happy Easter or discussing reality TV shows, along with our GIFs and emojis, not to announce ‘A whole civilization will die tonight’.”
Trump’s war against Iran has raged for more than a month and has been a clear demonstration of US military might. But Iran’s remaining leadership has remained able to close the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping lane.
