Before Trump bullies any more foreign leaders would someone show him a video of 9/11. Mention that this could happen to every Trump Tower in the world, all at one time. Words have consequences.
Can we just go one week without any Trump drama? It's so exhausting.
5
History is interesting. For example: the Islamic Revolution came about because the U.S. and Britain supported Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi's repressive regime, in a sweet-heart deal of U.S. weapons for Iranian oil.In 1953 the U.S. and Britain, engineered the overthrow of democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddeq's government , because he nationalized Iran's oil. When the Shah was overthrown, no country would give him asylum, not even his sweetheart, America. He finally died in Egypt. The Shah lived a life of golden luxury, repressed his people brutally with American weapons, and some fools wonder why Iranians don't like the U.S. As for Trump, who does not know or understand the horrors of war, because he artfully dodged the draft 5 times, it's easy to rattle nukes. Remember his pregnant campaign question; "When's the last time the U.S. won a war?" With nukes, nobody, not even the U.S. wins a war. The whole world loses. But that's the quandary America faces, until Uncle Sam comes to his senses, and fires the Apprentice in the White House!#MRGA!
3
We know all about Trump’s follow through. It is non-existent. DT is weak and indecisive. The silver lining of having this poor example of national leadership is for us to grasp what can happen if we are not vigilant. I have more appreciation of our Constitution and our bi-cameral Congress, our rule of Law, our Court System than ever. Trump will not destroy these things. He is too scattered in focus and understanding to be a great threat to the Nation. That does not mean that not getting rid of the incompetence he engenders would not be useful. His fall starts in Nov 2018.
3
Trump will not dare to do anything against Iran. There may be two exceptional cases: If Putin authorizes him to do as in the case of Syria; and, via Israel.
Meanwhile, in mid-America, my husband and I pay $1800 a month for health insurance for us and our two almost-adult kids. Our oldest is now insured by his employer, yet we have decided to take a gamble and pay this much each month rather than risking 10-20% copays in the event someone’s appendix bursts or an uninsured driver hits any of us. (Which could cost us $50-60 thousand!) We are fortunate enough to be able to eat right, exercise and pay for insurance but like so many can not make an appointment with a doc without providing proof of insurance. What’s worse is we end up going to a “doc in the box” when we are sick because so many of our docs have moved on from internal medicine. (Why? Because it’s so demanding and they can’t pay back loans, etc.) What happened to Trump’s promise to have an incredible health insurance system with lots of choices and low cost medications? It’s obscene. I can’t believe so many continue to defend him. I am dreading October when I find out how much I have to pay for pitiful insurance in 2019. I am 54 years old, work hard, exercise, eat right, and am not looking for a handout.
6
Iran is an example of the need for separation of religion from the state. However Trump's bluster didn't work with North Korea and it likely will fail with Iran. The people end up suffering are Iranians and not politicians or clerics.
2
Mama Mia! Here we go again! We’ve seen this before. And every world leader, especially Rouhani and Kim are laughing. Who green lighted this miserable re-make?
4
Just like Trump did with N. Korea as a distraction from negative headlines, he threatens war via twitter again. And he does it very early on a Monday morning so the narrative is changed to start the week. What kind of a president manipulates the media by threatening nuclear war, not once, but twice, on two separate continents in a span of less than 3 months, simply to turn eyes away from his own misdeeds? The man is going to kill us all.
4
We now have the "fire and fury" phase of the Trump-Rouhani relationship. Next will be the "He's a very strong leader," phase, followed by the overture for a summit in Dubai, followed by the "best deal ever with an Iranian leader" statement, followed by Iran returning to the exact position it enjoyed before Trump started slagging the Obama peace agreement. Can you win two Nobel Peace Prizes in one year?
4
Iran may, or may not, be a threat. But coming from Trump's mouth it's little more than wiping the catsup off my tie after a trip to McDonalds. I wouldn't sweat it.
2
His latest Iran tweet is not another attempt to change the subject in my opinion. trump is unraveling in front of our eyes. The relentless bad press coverage and stress caused by the failed Putin & NK summits and Russia investigation leads him to lash out without regard for consequences. His behavior is not strategic; it is impulsive and unpredictable. He is mentally unfit to be commander in chief, and if Congress does not act soon, we will find ourselves at war with... (pick any country).
4
I would think that by now that most world leaders are wondering
what is taking Mueller so long to prove that Trump needs to
be impeached; or that the US Congress needs to force Trump
to resign on grounds that he is mentally unfit to be the US President....Isn't this all too obvious....I would think that most
world leaders are waiting for Congress to act to remove Trump from office.
2
I would be shocked if the US isn’t at war with someone soon. Please don’t let it be a Canada.
4
Not a real surprise that the GOP wants to attack the endangered species act, they are certainly endangering Democracy with their failure to Impeach this Traitor. America Deserves Better.
5
Is Twitter part of RT, or even GRU? If we go to war how many soldier's will die due to Twitter's inaction? Of course the Reps and The Don will share blame but this is inciting violence on a worldwide scale.
Mr. Rouhani knows that in a ‘mother of all wars’ between his country & the U.S. he would lose, and (hopefully) Trump’s advisors have warned him that if he ‘breaks Iran’ he’ll own it as Bush, Jr. discovered in Iraq. In any scenario both the Americans & the Iranians lose.
2
What pompus Pompeo said about Iran applies to the US - Like the US economy, "The Iranian economy is going great but only if you are politically connected member of the elite." Also his critique of the religious elite in Iran applies to the corrupt (morally and financial) religious elite in our own country.
Now we have POTUS childishly exchanging threats and insults with the Iranians - making America more like Iran.
6
Great.
Just what our country needs: a War on the other side of the world that US generals have said would make the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars "look like a walk in the park."
A lot of bluster that absolutely cannot be backed up without tremendous horrors as a result.
It is an embarrassing time to be an American.
7
In my observation,there is a contrast and opposite approach
to every subject by the advisors to Mr.Trump or by Mr.Trump.
Mr.Trump's initiative to bring North Korea to the table of discussion in Singapore is indeed a good achievement to progress further by him and his successors in future. Either in science or policy design, the progress largely depends on the continuous attempt by countless people in order to achieve perfection without rigidity. My request to Mr.Trump to start dialogue with Iran from the point where Mr.Obama left his contour and bring it to the candid discussion based on the evidences known in the recent past about Iran's nuclear facility. The many forms of energy gifted by nature and our scientific work on the exploitation of everything visible at our sight are meant for a meaningful life on the earth and not to misuse to win the battle field. What could be the value of the destroyed oil&gas fields and their processing facilities in the world since the first lift of crude in the world?. Need of the hour is the fusion of minds and not the myopic outlook with fissures in minds.
What the NYTs reporters should focus on here is the Iranian supersonic anti-ship missile capability, specifically the Sunburn missile.
The US Navy has never had to go to battle against a country that has supersonic anti-ship missiles
A subsonic Exocet anti-ship missile almost split the USS Stark in two in the 80’s. The Stark didn’t see that missile until it was right on top of them, google it
Read and learn of a 2002 pentagon war game simulation in the straits:
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/washington/12navy.html
Note: China now deploys a anti-carrier missile that can destroy a carrier at a range of 1500 mi. That means no carrier can come into that radius, which means their aircraft have to tank, which leaves big air tankers vulnerable to getting shot down.
1
Trump threatens everyone. I am sure its fun to live in that household, or work in it!
2
It's good to know that President Trump has finally gotten over his foot problems and now can join the military in the fight against America's enemies!
8
Neo-colonial manipulation of Iran since fifties led to such massive corruption, inequity and control that the only way political trust could be created to check this external manipulation was via extreme religious flavor to political set up.
Thereafter in eighties Iran was caught up in increased Sunni-Shia conflagration, and religious fervor of constituencies fired up by this divide have been most difficult to contain. US by taking side with Sunni factions blatantly is accentuating this conflict.
Both India and Pakistan have a political policy to heal these religious divides. Their civilizational destiny is connected to Iran. They are quite likely to find common ground to safeguard Middle East. Russia which has from later half of Cold war years been supportive of Iran, most likely to stand by Iran, as also surely China.
The way global cookie is crumbling in response to Trump Presidency probably means EU nations shall also stick to the Iran deal. All team Trump has achieved via this Iran threat is dimming prospects of successful US-Russia reset.
The policy of engagement Iran deal subscribed to may have been imperfect but it afforded scope for gradual moderation of Iranian democracy. Instead of reinforcing this process, new policy hardens militant postures. This policy of direct confrontation does not enhance Israeli security, but the hawks there seem to support this posture. Hopefully a way shall be found for moderation process of Iranian democracy to continue.
2
Who's scared of the big bad wolf? How many military victories has the U.S. military had since post WW II? Yeah, exactly.
4
Anything to focus attention away from Russia.
9
Another Monday morning news cycle...
Another week of either flirting with war, another bridge burned with our allies, or a Constitutional crisis of some sort.
It has only been a year-and-a-half, and I'm growing numb to this:
(1) It starts with a Monday morning tweet,
(2) then all sorts of recriminations, insults, denials, and bold-faced lies fly back-and-forth, with the words "unfair" and "sad" thrown-in for good measure, and eventually...
(3) it's Friday.
(4) Then we have the news channel commentaries all weekend, and then...
(5) something new gets started on Monday...
...and if we all start to grow numb to this pattern, then he can push the envelope that much farther the following week.
One of these weeks, something really big is going to happen...
6
Well, it is a distraction for the press and public from Russia. Come late 2019 I would advise both parties and the public to either impeach Trump (if Dems have the numbers) or tone down the rhetoric about Trump losing the popular vote if they want to avoid an all out war with Iran or perhaps ? Montenegro? By 2019 the only thing Trump will care about is winning a second term and he will be absolutely frantic to prove Russia did not win the first election for him. People are often reluctant to switch presidents or parties in wartime. A small war, as in that great DeNiro/Hoffman movie Wag the Dog, would help him win.
2
I know the Base will be glad to see Christian values at work, threatening war being the heart of the Gospels.
7
Diplomacy by tweet - did you ever think we'd come to such a low?
5
That's hardly diplomacy . . .
3
Same pap and bravado. Take the lead, like China, and focus on climate-change NOW. The red-baiting and warmongering threats are so infantile at this point. There's a much more important, international 'war' to be fought against fossil-fuel use and for renewable approaches to energy usage on this planet. If we don't try, then it doesn't matter what kind of national war one wants to wage, for the international instability due to Anthropocene Climate disruption is this 'back-and-forth' irrelevant. Doubt it? Look at the exodus of migrants around the world; heat here in Japan and elsewhere in Asia and the American southwest; the chunks of ice calving-off of Antarctica and the Arctic; a weakening jet-stream that no longer can push fronts west-to-east (the storms and heat-domes just sit there, as in Houston, southwestern Japan, and in the multiple touching-down of tornadoes in the Midwest), the slowing down of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and finally growing measures of wealth-inequality that show us the wealthy know what's coming and are hoarding appropriately to take care of their progeny and friends. Wake-up!
"Shipping powders back and forth
Singing "black goes south and white comes north"
And the whole world full of petty wars
Singing "I got mine and you got yours" (GD 1987)
Petty, petty, national buffoonery w/o a 'big picture' perspective.
Who ARE these people who think the world can afford the "mother of all wars" and its "consequences"?
6
This president is always frightening to me and increasingly I pay no attention to the nutty Tweets.
1
North Korea has yet to return US remains from the Korean War.
“We got back our great fallen heroes, the remains sent back today, already 200 got sent back” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-remains/trump-says-nor...
By his standard Trump should say the war in Iran already happened and we won. That would save a lot of trouble for everyone.
5
"Mr. Pompeo accused Iran’s leadership of widespread corruption at the expense of its citizens’ welfare."
Fill in the blanks:
"[....] accused US Republican leadership of widespread corruption at the expense of its citizens’ welfare.
[...] could be just about any world leader other than Putin!
3
The quote of President Rouhani emphasizes peace as well as war, but if someone reads all the news headlines and the belligerence coming from our elected leaders, one thinks of Iran as the complete aggressor and that emphasis overlooks the "peace" part of his message!
3
Trump has replaced Teddy Roosevelt’s famed diplomatic adage with “Twitter loudly and do nothing.” He’s the living embodiment of what Chinese have called a paper tiger. He bluffs as those he’s playing Blackjack with three kings showing. He may well be the first president to have achieved lame duck status in the middle of his first term. My bigger concern is that, not only the GOP, but all our adversaries hope we have six more years of this reality TV president.
1
Big, empty, swaggering, blustery threats typically come from the loud mouths of petty tyrants like Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong-un. They betray fearful, weak, delusional, unstable minds out of touch with reality that have often dragged nations into war.
I have always been exceptionally proud that The United States of America has, with few exceptions, historically elected stable, circumspect, sagacious leaders. The only response necessary to all the juvenile shouting in the world has been to speak softly and carry a big stick.
Mr. Trump's idiotic schoolboy tweet to Iran is a profound threat to world peace and a supreme embarrassment to the United States. We need to eject this ignorant screaming crybaby from office swiftly and replace him with a mature, reasoning adult before it's too late.
12
Just Trump trying to change the subject...
5
Trump is a tough tweeter. Face to face he’s a pushover. Are we going to sit back and wait for bombs to start dropping before Congress does something about this man? What will it take for them to start thinking about America instead of the Republican party? I am getting sick of living in fear.
6
Sooner or later, Trump, the school yard bully will pick the wrong fight and end up with a punch in the nose... Can't wait.
4
Comrad Trump is just following suggestions from his boss, Vlad. "Create a war with Iran to distract Americans from your investigation." Bet it works...
4
Threats and more threats by our demented leadership. Where is the 'deal maker'?
I have a suggestion Trump. You are willing to send our troops to their deaths. Send your children first.
7
Isn't it soon time for impeachment?
8
Divert! Divert from News about the failed Russian Summit. Divert. Stir up trouble with Iran, Donald. Quick. Divert!
6
Back to empty threats and promises, only to divert the treasonous Helsinki act!
11
This is little more than Trump trying to divert attention from his disgraceful behavior of last week. He does this all the time. It is entirely predictable. As Trump becomes more desperate in the coming months, expect more of the same. I fully expect that when Mueller's damning findings are made public, Trump will ultimately start a war in a desperate attempt to rally popular support for his failed presidency. It is inevitable.
4
Why is he sounding like Saddam Hussein?
5
It's quite regrettable that the NYT must publish the daily utterances of an established liar. Don't worry, Iran. Nothing will happen. He'll just switch back to football players before you know it. Presidential gadfly.
6
I grew up in Iran during the 1979 revolution that brought this regime to power. Trump understands these bullies; my money's on Trump.
3
Trump's policies are badly hurting the people of Iran through a variety of direct and indirect channels. Ask a parent who cannot send money to his child who is studying abroad, a patient who cannot find a medicine, or a young person whose employer's business had collapsed due to finanicial and other sanctions, etc. His cheerleaders should know that the "mafia" will be doing fine! With friends like him, Bolton, Pompeo, and Haley the Iranian people don't need an enemy!
3
Surely 45's indiscriminate Twitter use has to be in violation of security measures the office requires. Whatever Iran's political posturing, 45's continuing, unhinged Twitter affliction further confirms — to my mind — how utterly unqualified he is for the office and how dangerous this person is to the American people. Make. Him. Stop.
6
Another consequence of Trump asking himself “What would Putin do?”
And another?
Trump Weighs Stripping Security Clearances From Officials Who Criticized Him—NYT Headline.
Some authoritarians slink in on little cat’s feet; others stomp in, for all to hear, wearing hobnailed boots—but thirty to forty percent of the citizenry remain too deaf—ostrich-fearful, heads buried in the sand—to take notice.
2
Trump has no credibility.
6
Last week DJT thought, for 4 full days that turning over Our former ambassador, CIA, State Dept staff and a British banker (none of which he has legal authority to do) to Putin was "an incredible idea." Today, under the influence of Rand Paul and probably Devin Numbskull, he floats revoking security clearances of former intelligence leaders for telling the truth about him. At least two have that won't make a bit of difference in what they say, it will still be the truth and in service to our great country. ABSOLUTE PROOF many in the administration are under the thumb of Russia and will never live up to their oaths to protect the country we pay them to protect.
3
Just imagine if any individual on the planet posted anything remotely this threatening on Tweet or Facebook. The Feds would be on them in a second and rightly so. The idea of governing by tweet is already so outrageous, and has yet been normalized, as has every other appalling action taken by this President. Now he is upping the ante, testing the waters of how low he can go without opposition. (Answer: There is no bottom.) He is literally picking a fight in 140 characters or less. The time to rein in this insane person was long before the election, and try as so many of us might, we could not get enough people to understand how critical it was NOT to elect this guy President. He was an ignorant, boorish bully; now he's an ignorant, boorish, extremely powerful bully. Yay.
9
Cripes! Can someone please stop this man? Will we all be blown to bits by Iran now? What sane person would tweet threats to a leader who may be even crazier than him? What to do?
3
Neither Democrats nor Republicans get the central fact: neither Russia nor Iran is our main problem.
It is ISRAEL.
With impunity, its agents subvert the democratic process, procure immense funding, and enable this belated display of colonialization to oppress peoples in the Near East.
We need a new 4th of July -- Independence from Israel!!!
2
Only Russia also takes land with impunity. Kills with impunity. Russia denies their clandestine activities while Israel publishes proof of their attacks on sovereign nations. There are many similarities in actions but very dissimilar press releases. Russia, “it could have been patriots but it was not Russian soldiers”, while Israel says, “yeah, we did this, and that, and we’ve flown 600 sorties, and stole this, and that...” At some point, if the Middle East isn’t kept off balance, someone is going to say exactly what you said. More care should be taken....
The US citizen looks in the mirror now and asks if the government represents us, capitalized for emphasis, US? Are we the people exporting turmoil and death? Locking up Browns so there will be less democrats? Crush unions also less democrats and lower wages. Leaving the Las Vegas shooting victims signing up for GoFundMe pages to pay their bills, and the hotel, forewarned by an employee, sues all the victims so they can’t sue the hotel? It is a mystery who the US government represents. Even cut and dried issues with overwhelming majorities like net neutrality, Medicare negotiated drug prices, undeclared wars. Big pharma paying some small groups of docs who will take money to prescribe their latest meds? Laws bedamned - Safe Harbors? Are we all afraid of being hung? Called out as “Reds” by McCarthy? Are McConnell/Ryan the new prototypical Americans?
1
Soon Trump will tweet about Iran, as he did with North Korea. "Sleep easy," I have solved the threat with "tough talk."
The question shouldn't be "why would he attack Iran?" but rather "why wouldn't he?"
When a paranoid narcissist feels threatened - as Trump surely does by the various investigations and by the November elections - he lashes out to protect himself.
When he surrounds himself with warmongers like Bolton who are lusting for a war with Iran the odds are great that blood will be spilled - before November.
War is a time-tested technique to quash domestic dissent and consolidate more power. It would be a surprise if war was not pursued by this Administration - just for the pure, power-rush that would ensue, and to distract and disarm domestic dissent.
4
Destroying Iran has been the goal of the WH/GOP/neocons since before the election. All the handwriting was on the wall. Netanyahu's trotting out archived documents shows desperate attempt for WH to get action before Trump's grocery store expiration date. The GOP now knows Trump's usefulness for them to blame, use, and hide behind are almost over after the dismal Trump show in Finland where Putin showed up an hour late to denigrate the desperate for cash US president. The fact the documents were archived shows that Obama/EU/Dems knew of Iran's desire for a nuclear weapon (deterrent?) and caused the urgent and effective action. The only option, despite Trump's threats against NATO, is for sovereign nations to create their own trade deals with Iran. The US is no longer the good honest sheriff it once was and after the Trump/Putin show it seems we can no longer be trusted to lead the world toward peace and prosperity because it seems we are for sale.... Trump failed Russia in many of his commitments: sanction relief, Syria, Russian nuclear plants sold throughout the ME, etc. He kept the bargain in Ukraine by taking our weapons out of the fight against Russia! Convinced the Saudis to help Russia - defeating the belated sanctions both houses voted for! Continues to destabilize the U.K. because the U.K. might have the animus to lead in Ukraine but for the time wasted on Brexit. If Trump, because of Iran, becomes a wartime president, won't we get 4 more years?
2
It feels like we are in a slow motion plane crash with Trump in the pilot seat and the GOP-led congress as co-pilot.
We are all in for a nasty crash if we don’t figure out a way to reign in this insanity.
10
I firmly believe that Twitter should delete Trump's account on account that it may be responsible for World War III. And I wonder if trump's remarks should be considered as a threat of violence which would warrant deletion from social media in general.
9
What I really don't like about all this is not what our boy president has said, nothing new there; but rather, how many people liked and retweeted his boyish tweet. Yeah, that makes me worry a bit, because you see, what if our boy president gets the idea that if just rhetoric can stir his base this much, imagine what his action would unleash! Let's admit it, we elected a septuagenarian boy to be president of the United States of America!
3
As a country, more than any other, we love war. Our politics, society, culture....even most sports, directly or indirectly promotes war and violence.
And now Trump is laying he groundwork for yet another war.
When will we learn peace is so much better than war.
5
The defence stocks are lagging a bit. The US needs some military action to pump up those stocks.
2
Good grief! One disaster after another is hard to get used to. But I guess we are going to have to expect that this man will always be surrounded by chaos. He cultivates it as camouflage for his inability to think in any depth. He flails around with insults and threats then he does a flip and tells them that he loves them. He never says exactly what he wants so no one can satisfy him. Then some government official has to soothe and apologize and make some statement that Trump will flip around again in his next tirade. Government by tirade. This makes the US look like it has no idea what it is doing. Which is true.
5
Bring back the draft. Women must be included, as there no longer is a constitutionally sound reason to exclude them.
This will finally move voters into action against this insane administration and its supporters. Enough. Just enough.
9
Not one young man in our military should be put at
risk because of the obvious insanity of these remarks. Perhaps Mr Trump could suit up in battle
gear and lead the invasion of Iran with the GOP
congress as his troops.
What a joke this man has become.
6
Trump doesn't get one thing: That he is not fighting on a level battle ground with the likes of NK, Iran. Their best bet is to do damage control and wait until his presidency is over, while they are not time limited (look at Iran FM's recent tweet).
That's why you need international allies and rule of law, both of which this administration is undermining.
8
Saddam Hussein also threatened "the mother of all battles" in 1991. It was indeed a mother for him.
5
The man can't help himself.
If he thinks it, he says it. Immediately, and without engaging counsel. His actions, regardless of how he justifies them, bring potential for harm to the nation he swore an oath to protect. There's a word for that.
When will the Legislative branch take action again his sending official messages via a PERSONAL Twitter account on an UNSECURED device? This is not conduct befitting a sitting president and warrants, at minimum, censure. Instead, Congressional crickets.
Remember the good old days, when Barack Obama was finally allowed to keep his Blackberry, but only with a new address, customized security, and a litany of restrictions?
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/us/politics/23berry.html
What happened between then and now that no agency has placed similar restrictions on Trump? For heaven's sake, I'm a media producer in a corporation, and my company-issued cell phone has more security and restrictions than the president's.
18
"warned the United States that any conflict with Iran would be the “mother of all wars.”"
The last Arab leader, Saddam Hussein (dictator of Iraq), who made a statement like that ended up hanged by his own people!
Remember Libya's Khadaffi murdered by his own citizens?
I wonder about the ending of president Hassan Rouhani of Iran?
"Live by the sword, you die by the sword."
4
Does Trump know that Pompeo, Bolton, Giuliani, et al support and/or the paid spokespersons for the terrorist group MEK/MKO/NCRI, the murderers, kidnappers, hostage takers of American citizens? What is their reason for supporting this terrorist group whose members are despised by the overwhelming majority of the Iranians?
Is it because they justify the cold-blooded murders of US officers, US civilian contractors, bombing of the US companies in Iran, attempted kidnapping of Americans, and hostage taking of American diplomats by the terrorist group MEK/MKO/NCRI or is it because they want to use them to carry out the terrorist activities inside Iran in order to destabilise the government?
If not, then why are they supporting them instead of arresting and prosecuting the members of this notorious cold-blooded murderers of Americans and Iranians especially when there is no statute of limitation in case of murder?
Regarding Pompeo's propaganda speech, Iranian-Americans should have no say in the internal affairs of Iran because the Iranian people in Iran who have remained in Iran and have endured all kinds of sufferings during the war, and as a result of the illegal economic sanctions against Iran should decide the future of Iran. Also, while majority of Iranian-Americans left Iran nearly forty years ago, these patriotic and brave people stayed in Iran, fought in the Iraq war against Iran, and many of them lost family members in the war.
3
Trump's threats would be a lot more effective if he hadn't surrendered to North Korea, giving them everything they wanted and asking for nothing in return. Right now Iran is listening to his threats and realizing they have an opening for new negotiations. Soon they'll have a deal that benefits them much, much more than Obama and Kerry's deal ever did. And the US, as usual, will get nothing thanks to our master negotiator of a president.
6
Another desperate flailing by Trump to try and camouflage and divert the news cycle that was swamping his administration: the Michael Cohen taped interview news and the illegal campaign contribution analysis, the increasingly inexplicable treasonous supplicant behavior towards Vladimir Putin, and the sit down with the Mueller team in negotiations(?), which behind the scenes may be starting to weigh heavily on the legal staff and aides. Going after distinguished Americans like Brennan? Just another day in this corrupt, "intelligence bereft" Commander in Chief's sandbox of the daily tabloid dabblings.
No one in the world, especially Iran could take anyone like this seriously any longer. All credibility (and there was none to begin with) has been forever lost from this Administration, this sad sack of a President, and his den of enablers in Congress. Trump's inappropriate Tweet sounded more like an eight grade level Kim Jong-un tweet than one made from an U.S. educated citizen. Did he make it through grade school? Do Trump supporters find this especially entertaining?
Even with a swift resignation, the Nation will be cleaning up this person's mess for decades to come.
12
I don't know if such a verbal response to Rouhani is wise because it just gives him more attention for his rather empty threats. But I can't blame Trump for telling him to shut his mouth if he's trying to threaten us.
Of course, I also don't see why we should have bothered to pull out of the Iranian deal that was working. So, nobody's winning in this exchange if you ask me.
3
This Tweet appears to violate Twitter's terms of service:
Abusive Behavior
We believe in freedom of expression and open dialogue, but that means little as an underlying philosophy if voices are silenced because people are afraid to speak up. In order to ensure that people feel safe expressing diverse opinions and beliefs, we prohibit behavior that crosses the line into abuse, including behavior that harasses, intimidates, or uses fear to silence another user’s voice.
Context matters when evaluating for abusive behavior and determining appropriate enforcement actions. Factors we may take into consideration include, but are not limited to whether: the behavior is targeted at an individual or group of people; the report has been filed by the target of the abuse or a bystander; the behavior is newsworthy and in the legitimate public interest.
Violence: You may not make specific threats of violence or wish for the serious physical harm, death, or disease of an individual or group of people. This includes, but is not limited to, threatening or promoting terrorism. You also may not affiliate with organizations that — whether by their own statements or activity both on and off the platform — use or promote violence against civilians to further their causes.
Abuse: You may not engage in the targeted harassment of someone, or incite other people to do so. We consider abusive behavior an attempt to harass, intimidate, or silence someone else’s voice.
7
While threats and counter-threats are Trump's idea of diplomacy, wild and empty threats from Iran's President as well as its Supreme Leader are difficult to understand and are dangerous. Iranians should remember what was done to Saddam's Iraq. If anything, the threat of a violent American response is even greater today in view of the fact that the U.S. is being led by an unstable and impulsive leader who has to prove his masculinity to his core supporters.
3
Who's finally gonna take trump to the White House woodshed for some serious discipline. The odds favor Stormy Daniels far more than McCONnell or anyone else in the Russo-Republican Party.
21
As for myself, I am trying to formulate the healthiest lifestyle I can, now that I can get senior discounts at several markets.
I just HAVE to be able to outlive this period in our country's collective angst to possibly enjoy some sense of sanity and peace as I approach my golden years.
Who knew that this administration would be the stimulus for me to get my act straight!
13
Trump must be stopped NOW. His self generated chaos and confusion can only lead to disaster. Are we all just going to sit around and wait for the inevitable death and destruction rapidly heading our way as Trump tries to cover one blunder with another and another and another? Call, write or email your senators and representatives today. It's time to invoke article 25 before its to late. We, the people, must regain control of our government even if it means taking it to the streets.
Voting is not enough, as long as Trump remains in office the danger is too great.
12
So Trump threatens Iran in capital letters, tells NK his nuclear button is bigger than theirs and kowtows and bows to Putin who is still busily attacking America in cyber space and gearing up for more sabotage in our upcoming U.S. elections.
Yet he doesn't read intelligence briefs, information on foreign policy or affairs and is reputed to have only picked up books on himself that had ghost writers. Second graders know more about how our democracy works and he only knows enough that he wants it destroyed.
Essentially the Trump Agenda is the Iran, NK and Russian agendas as they are working actively to destroy our democracy. Other than the fact that there are no active Trump Holding trademarks in NK or Iran, I don't understand the schoolyard bullying tactics against either of them by a man who has reached 73 but never grew up from being a bullying, lying, cheating man baby.
2
Someone else's comment about having reported this to Twitter for threatening violence brought up this very important point to me, one that others talked about more last year but which has started to fall by the wayside...
Why are people still using Twitter?
Everyone was up in arms about Facebook selling data and many people left. Yet Twitter almost daily brings us closer to nuclear war by allowing Trump to post messages like this.
I'm so, so glad I never used it and wonder if there will ever be a boycott of the platform demanding that Trump be at the very least suspended from it, as would happen to literally ANY other user who used it to threaten and intimidate like this.
7
everybody in the world saw the humiliation in helsinki. nobody is afraid of donald any more.
8
A pattern is emerging with Trump. When the Russia investigation heats up he Twitter-taunts foreign adversaries to distract us (except Russia, of course.) I can't thing of anything more irresponsible and dangerous for a president to do.
The biggest threat to our national security and world peace is Donald J. Trump. When will the GOP do something to reign in their monster?
8
Hey, maybe he can get a useless meeting with this guy too (ala North Korea). Or maybe he can feel as strong as his hero Putin. Or maybe he can compensate for his wartime bone spurs. Who knows? Maybe it's just another "Don't think about Russia" ploy. What it is not is an intelligent, well thought-out and well-advised policy position. No surprises there.
3
We need to let Bibi and the expansionist, fanatical, right-wing Israelis he leads fight their own war with Iran.
8
Funny how this Twitter tirade coincides with the start of Manafort's trial this week.
And what's wrong with the board of directors of Twitter? Profits over country?
8
JCAZ,
That's what Fox News does too. Profits over country (actually, isn't Rupert Murdoch Australian? He couldn't care less about our country.)
I SMELL more collusion from Trump. He needs to divert attention from his traitorous and treasonous Helsinki trip, so he back channels with Rouhani and cuts a deal for some tough talk twitter rants. Rouhani gives a speech promising "the mother of all wars" - didn't we hear that from Saddam?- which, of course, Trump has to respond to because real Americans would be hyperplectic if he didn't counter threaten Rouhani with the Granddaddy of All Wars. Trump probably promised Rouhani a couple more cargo planes full of Euros and negotiable bonds - special delivery from Switzerland. The Radical Islamists get more cash to fund their conquest of the Middle East, Trump gets his democracy crushing gaffe of the week, and the media gets some fresh meat to feed the choir. Win-Win-Win. Oh, Death to America and NEVER TRUMP.
2
What did Iran do to make Putin so angry?
3
Trumps motto: Tweet loudly but carry a tiny toothpick.
6
@B Tiny hands tweet the loudest.
2
Is everyone in this Republican administration power-crazy and brain dead? What do they hope to accomplish by threatening destruction not only on our adversaries but our allies as well. There is a cancer spreading rapidly within the GOP controlled Congress and White House that will do great harm to our nation unless Congress sets aside cross-aisle hatred and slams the brakes on Trump and his merry band of pirates.
6
Very presidential--"tweeting" threats to leaders of other countries... the word "tweeting" best describes the brain power of anyone who would use this platform for serious communication.
4
Looks like the accused 'aggressive' Balkanians of Montenegro AREN'T the one's who'll incite WWIII, instead the accuser himself is the one looking to do so,now that North Korea's no longer on bullying target since that joke of a Summit!
We all know what's obviously happening here.Toddler-in-Chief mucked up royally last week and is now looking for anything to distract from the fact he denounced America and even now,he'd rather we go back to talking about Stormy Daniels, Carter Page...anything else but the disgraceful display that was last week!
And still Congress does nothing and sadly the public have yet again been distracted,by the shiny specs Trump & this white house it throwing at us.
Moral compass is nonexistence as long as we're in the Trumpverse!
2
No matter the latest daily tirade....I can't be the only one concerned the U.S. Government continues to be conducted via Twitter? I'm not the only one disconcerted, am I? Discouraged? Dismayed? Down-in-the-Dumps?
Is anyone out there? Are you there, Cher?
I hear no objections across our *"fruited plain!", nor *"from sea to shining sea". *"America! America! Confirm they soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law."
Twitter?
Really??
[*With apologies to Katherine L. Bates for using her "America The Beautiful" text in an attempt to elevate my personal despondence.]
Find me. I'm here. Alone.
Really.
2
So, "tweet your ground" is a possibility.
1
I would think that threatening to wage war on another country and kill their people is a violation of Twitter's policies.
If not, it should be. Twitter, for the sake of humanity, please remove Trump from your platform.
5
After trump's traitorous putin love fest in Helsinki and Now with these latest tweets, what more proof is needed... trump's days are numbered.
Time for adult supervision. Start with shutting down trump's twitter account.
Hey, hackers. Hey, 400 pound guys sitting on beds do something useful-
Shut down trump's twitter account.
If trump can tell the Russians "get Hillary's missing emails". Certainly we are within our rights to ask for trump's tweets to be shut down.
3
Who in the world takes him seriously anymore?
4
Trump is mad. I already said that and i'm convinced it's true. What could be rational in his strategy ? Germany, France make business in Iran, not US. Because of American laws, European compagnies that will make profits in Iran will be sentenced to major penalties. So that some of them have already began to Europe. This is the result of "America first", the most stupid idea for decades that products just one consequence : a commercial war, best way to obtain, finally, a true war.
1
The traditional strategy of the US has been, speak softly but carry a big stick.
For Trump it is, speak big and carry a small stick!
2
Only someone completely ignorant of our inept, destructive history of meddling in Iranian political affairs could have written such a stupid tweet. But then, Trump counts on the fact that most Americans are as ignorant as he is about our past forays into Iran. We worry about Russia influencing our elections. We (via the CIA) are responsible for the assassination of Iran's democratically elected leader Mosaddegh. Trump selectively responded to Rouhani's speech-ignoring his statement about peace--so he could act the tough guy and live out the male cowboy fantasy dream. We (the American people) are responsible for foisting Trump --a mirror of our own ignorance, selfishness and arrogance--on the world.
1
An attempt to distract from Russia debacle with "Little Rocket Man" trash talk.
1
All Caps twitter war against Iran. I could get behind that.
1
Trump is a bullying, blustering fool and the world is suffering the consequences. If a few Republican senators who are truly patriotic would declare themselves as independents and caucus with the Democrats that would put at least a partial brake on these follies.
2
And so POTUS changes the narrative... again...
3
A Tale of Two Morons... All toddlers I’ve ever known—and parented—have had better communication skills. In fact, this exchange of rhetoric between these two is an insult to all toddlers
If North Korea takes the lesson from how a non-nuclear Iran can be bullied by the U.S, regardless of the right or wrong of such an American approach, it will slow walk at best its "commitment" to denuclearize. The lack of consistency -- outside of rampant bellicosity -- in this administrations foreign policy is regrettable and counterproductive. A successor administration is going to have quite a mop up operation on its hands.
1
We have a president who is either mentally ill or downright evil. There can be no other explanations for this behavior, which is obviously designed to distract the public and press from the imminent start of Mr. Manafort's trial and Mr. Trump's ongoing legal problems.
Iran is not a threat to this nation's security. Period. There is absolutely no cause to threaten that country. Besides, threats to other nations do nothing to advance the goal of peace. They show weakness, not strength. Wasn't it another Republican who said "speak softly and carry a big stick"? Mr. Trump should consider that advice more seriously.
16
@CastleMan
Neither Saddam Hussein or Kaddafi were security threat to the U.S. or anybody else. WMD was merely to cover another lie. both were selling oil in Euros at the time. and Bush wasn't going to tell the world we are going to takeout Saddam Hussein because he dares to bypass the almighty petrodollar.
Venezuela and Iran are in a heap of trouble because they both use other currency in oil trades. that's a big no no in uncle sam's book.
Just imagine if other oil producers follow suit and what would happen to the almighty dollar?
1
I agree entirely with the first sentence, but the second sentence doesn't follow from it:
"All parties concede Iran had been abiding by the terms of the agreement ... The only reason to stop an agreement with Iran ... is to raise the price of oil and distract from the Mueller probe."
Trump should NOT terminate the US' commitment to the Iran deal, but he's decided to do that and I don't doubt his sincerity. I doubt he has any desire to "raise the price of oil," and higher oil prices certainly wouldn't benefit him. He probably does want to "distract from the Mueller probe," though I doubt much, if anything, will ever come from that "probe."
1
Talk is talk. Keep our eyes on the things he is getting done!
2
More attempts to distract our attention away from Russia. No country believes anything Trump says anymore, no one is afraid of his toothless posturing.
14
What I find curious is that lack of history when discussing the ongoing conflict with Iran. Just imagine what the situation might have been if the United States did not formulate and support the overthrow of a democratically elected government because of oil. I can understand the Iranians hatred of us after a dictator was installed who proceeded to kill and terrorize his own people. In intelligence parlance, this is called blowback.
This is what caused the Islamic Revolution in Iran and has been a very large contribution to why the Arab World sees us as evil. It is time we learn from our mistakes.
11
This morning I heard one of the commentators on NPR, who are usually well-informed, that this was par for the course on Iran's rhetoric. That is, it was no news (considering 45's reneging on the deal, it is no surprise they are angry). 45's reaction is most likely his newest maneuver to distract his followers from everything else going on. There's nothing like a good nuclear scare and threat of war to make people forget about "minor" things like his cozying up to Russia, the new discoveries of the Mueller investigation, or his new actions against the environment. Will Iran be the new North Korea "success"for our fearless leader?
2
If anyone reading this agrees with most or even all of Trump's policies, that is your prerogative. But I implore you....that aside...how can you Not see the very clear Danger that he is posing to our nation, by way of his juvenile, senseless, reckless, inflammatory, insulting behaviors towards other world leaders, especially those that have....um...I don't know... Nuclear weapons?
I'm sorry, but this guy is a loose cannon, a danger to our nation, to the planet, the world order, and a complete embarrassment to our 'great nation'.
24
Inter alia, President Trump seems to fail to take into account the rather close relationship between RF and IRI. It has long been obvious that the instigation of the troubles in Syria, an ally of Iran, were carried out by third parties, other than any real opposition to the Assad regime, for the reason that if the U.S. could effect regime change and install a puppet in Syria, then the task of invading Iran for the same reason plus natural resource acquisition, would be made easier for it and Israel, as rear-guard action would be obviated. Response to this and any other eventuality by the Iranian government is not only strong but also realistic. So Trump believes that he must resort to threats in addition to extorting the international consensus on Iran's nuclear program, not to mention such extortionate actions against the Iranian economy. If these are not interpreted as actions of war, then it is difficult to discern any peaceful actions on the part of the U.S. government. They, along with KSA and the Zionists are the aggressors in this bid for hegemony in both the middle east and Eurasia. This recklessness by Trump is undertaken at its own peril, not only as President Rouhani indicates, but also as regards stable, productive relations with the RF. It may interfere with Trump's projected business options, but where people are concerned, that does not seem to be a factor.
2
@Disinterested Party "the instigation of the troubles in Syria, an ally of Iran, were carried out by third parties, other than any real opposition to the Assad regime"
yes, one of our operatives fiendishly got in there and tortured that kid.
@slightlycrazy
The story goes that as there was a protest expressing dissent in Derra, the Assad government acted in such a way as to comply with the wishes of the protesters both peaceably and competently. In Homs there was notice of third parties firing from apartment buildings so as to make it appear that the Syrian Arab Army was firing upon protesters, which they certainly were not. Now of course, with intervention in the affairs of a sovereign state, the situation has deteriorated, but not irredeemably as is evidenced by the recent stifling of ISIS and the reclaiming of the territory which it had reputedly conquered.
Hey, Don Trump, are you using your Iran tweet threat as a casus belli?
Our government has yet to have a plan for getting out of Afghanistan after more that 17 years of ...what?
There were no answers from our government about the Viet Nam War, either; however, The Pentagon Papers showed thAt our government lied about that war.
Do not go there!
2
People usually have friends who privately let them know if they've made a fool of themselves. Doesn't Trump have ANYONE who will tell him that he sounds like a 5-year-old? Please, someone in Washington, help him out!
2
Like they say—hire a clown,get a circus.
1
“Mr. Pompeo accused Iran’s leadership of widespread corruption at the expense of its citizens’ welfare.”
lol
9
Donald Trump is master of distractions and the media aids and abets it for its own ratings. After the recent fiasco in Helsinki , what better way to take the spotlight off of all the treason talk by the TV talking heads than by getting in to a twitter or real war in the middle east and look like macho man!
2
Why can’t that foul mouth shut up? We had a solid agreement with Iran and it should have been held to. Persia is a beautiful country and the Persians are good people.
Trump calls himself the most popular of presidents. But even if the man understood politics and good government he can only be viewed as despicable for his filthy talk alone. He is a dreadful heinous blot on our country. I hope someday America can recover from this dastardly man and recoup some hrs lost respect in the world.
9
Forced to choose between the theocratic, authoritarian, interventionist disrupting men in black of Iran and the kleptocratic, authoritarian, militaristic, interventionist disrupting men (and they are all men) of the US, It is a todos up.It really is a choice between two evils, and with more military and access to nuclear weapons it is certainly arguable that The US poses the greater existential threat. And to anyone who want to raise the wholly evil attitudes of the mullahs towards women as a reason for detesting that regime, with the current attitudes and policies of the Republican Party towards women, it is still very much a toss up. The subjugation of women by the religious right in the US is every bit as ugly as that in Iran.
Let’s hope Europe remains a place of peace and progress, although even there, evil, in the guise of populism rears its ugly head.
1
If Trump was a pony he'd be called one trick.
6
Wait, I thought Jared was in charge of Middle East policy -?
2
Ugh, is he really doing this again? Six months from now—in exchange for nothing—he’ll be holding hands with the ayatollahs and babbling about all that prime beachfront property on the Strait of Hormuz.
4
Could someone help me with a transliteration of the Arabic in the banner behind Rouhani? I can make out the word ‘Tehran’ but am uncertain about the last four characters.
1
@Dr. Stephanos 1397 is the Iranian/Persian year equivalent to 2018. The banner as it appears in the pic is: Tehran 1397.
I just reported Donald Trump's ALL CAPS tweet for threatening violence to Iran.
13
Well I don’t know, what’s the right response to someone who threatens you with the mother of all wars? A smile and a curtsy? Our next president needs to be a ballerina then. It might be helpful if both sides kept their mouths shut.
1
@John Doe they didn't threaten us. they said if it happened they would fight. trump is attacking them, at least in his bluster, not the other way around.
1
Those CAPS are really scary!!! I'm sure they will deter Iran, just as the Helsinki meeting deterred Putin,
5
Please take the nuclear weapons away from this immature man.
2
He certainly didn't use all caps when he was standing in front of putin, who illegally influenced our elections and likely poisoned innocents on foreign soil. He's a real tough guy from a distance.
6
Trump must be removed and imprisoned before he gets us all killed.
12
Trump is a complete idiot, but he knows how to shift the news away from what's really important. Unless Trump and his clowns have been threatening Iran behind the curtain, then Rouhani handed him a gift by his words. Of course, too many American Presidents have used war to satisfy political needs.
1
He's just trying to change the subject away from Russia
5
Caps huh? He comes off looking like your average ranting, red-faced, angry Twitter troll and...
...wait, what am I saying, that’s exactly what he is.
6
Can anyone, ANYONE, get rid of our loose-cannon, gutter-mouthed "president"? How is he different from the typical crime family boss?
8
Here’s the Trump Reichstag fire scenario
1: a nuke gets detonated in the Persian Gulf
2: Trump accuses Iran of doing it
3: the press fails miserably at investigating who is responsible
4: the US intelligent services deduce it was either Israel under US orders or it was the US itself
5: Trump refers to US intelligence as fake
6: US attacks Iran
7: Congress is complicit and goes along with the attack
8: Russia benefits
Scary scary
4
Mr Trump will have the distinction of pushing Iran to make a nuclear weapon. Iran was never, is not and will never be a match to US power. Why are we doing this? What is their to gain other than instability. Beats me.
The headline could have mentioned it was in response to Iran's leader issuing a similar warning. Since it was in a speech, can't tell if it was all caps or not.
I'm not defending Trump or Rouhani, just pointing out that Trump didn't just do this out of the blue, or from hearing something from his Fox Friends.
Pompeo's statement about corruption in Iran's leadership is correct, but he's kind of speaking from a glass White House on that count.
Rouhani has to look no further than Trump's recent history with Kim-Jung Un to know that he can simply ignore anything Trump says or tweets. Without any consequence.
And from his recent "summit" with Vladimir Putin, Rouhani also might propose that the U.S. permit some of the Iranian hostages undergo further interrogation by Iran, which Trump may well declare an "incredible idea."
In our absurd alliance with Israel against a nation of 80 or 90 million very brilliant people, the U.S. has already driven Iran into economic straits that may very well backfire on us if this warfare gets hot. The great irony of all of us this is that post 9/ll we could have had an across-the-board deal with Iran that might have vastly altered the current military and political landscape in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. To curse that nation after having spurned its efforts to compose our conflict-ridden relationship is not the only preposterous aspect of the Pompeo-Trump megalomania. How can Pompeo condemn Russia for interfering with our own elections while he openly thumps for revolution in Iran? This is not policy. It is insanity.
Every time there are new perspectives suggesting that there was some sort of Russia collusion with Trump's campaign, the President mounts some kind of distractor such as firing someone in the WH, violating human rights of migrants, or announcing a nuclear war to destroy North Korea, Iran or any enemy. The proximity of several trials (Manafort, Cohen) seems to be stressing him more than usual.
3
When one of the former Shah's sons committed suicide a few years back, many Iranian-Americans called or emailed his widow with their condolences. That I understood, but many of those Iranian-Americans went on to say how wonderful life had been when her deceased husband (the Shah) had been in power. That struck me as inappropriate, but at least it signaled an important truth about most Iranian-Americans:
Most Iranian-Americans came to the US shortly after the Shah was deposed in early 1979, in nearly all cases because they opposed the Ayatollah Khomeini and in many cases because life had been fairly good for them under the Shah. So take the complaints of Iranian-Americans with a very large grain of salt.
I too would oppose the Islamic Republic -- Iran for me being "a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there." But I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to accept my view as anything but strongly biased.
1
And many of those Iranians, who came here, after The Shah was deposed, were Jewish!
2
Take a look to the US conceit! Don't accept others 'threat' though it threatens the other.
Why does the US have this double standard stance? Based on what 'moral order' does the US have the 'right' to threat other countries and feel unacceptable when treated in the same way?
1
I'm entirely convinced that Trump's Twitter rants are designed solely for the consumption, distraction, and riling up of American citizens and media.
I highly doubt any head of state or foreign diplomat bothers to read his tweets, let alone takes them at all seriously.
3
What amazes me is how every single week, Trump does or says something outrageous that buries the outrageous thing he did or said the previous week. I can’t remember a single week in the last 19 months where this wasn’t so. This tweet is a prime example, designed to try and shift the news away from the condemnation he received last week about Putin. Sleight of hand, or in the case of Trump, sleight of tweet.
Before the clueless Bully-in-Chief announced his determination to end the Iran nuclear deal, our allies and signatories of his impending action voiced overwhelming disaproval and if Trump were to do so, were determined to act in accordance with their own security interests and protection of their economic investments.
The European Union’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini said “The nuclear deal with Iran is the culmination of 12 years of diplomacy. It belongs to the entire international community.” Trump and diplomacy--two words which are hard to say together!
Even France’s Emmanuel Macron made a trip to Washington in an attempt to convince Trump to maintain the deal; he tweeted that France, Germany and the UK regretted the U.S. decision. “The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake,” Macron wrote.
This stubborn and ignorant president most likely never read the deal nor its complex history yet could affirm in a rallying cry to his base that it was a "complete diaster" he would rip up on day 1 of his presidency. It was yet another talking point to destroy "all things Obama."
In his own twisted version of reality, he believes he is winning in making America great again with or without our allies for he can go it alone. The question is whether he will once again back track on this new big bad threat? Let's hope his advisors can deter him from as they most likely did with Kim and Putin. In the meanwhile, I am becoming more and more concerned with his use of ALL CAPs.
6
Is it possible to go a single day without our cowardly 'president' screaming at the world from behind his phone?
And also, I thought he was against declaring his military strategy? What is this then?
I don't really see what's important or noteworthy about this. We saw Trump use identical rhetoric towards North Korea, and look how that [Trump-created] standoff was resolved: massive US concessions (i.e. legitimization of Kim, canceled bilateral exercises, signaled acceptance of weakening in sanctions) in exchange for empty pledges and broken promises (i.e. end to missile engine tests, return of America's Korean War dead, destruction of nuclear test sites).
Why would anyone anywhere—whether in Tehran or New York City—take this man seriously?
3
Trump is so predictable ... in this case in response to Rouhani. Like a child on the playground retorting something like, "Oh yeah; just wait and see, you'll be sorry when I punch you in the mouth and knock your teeth out." It's not clear how many wars he thinks he can get us in at same time, though more likely it seems he's not thinking at all. We are easy targets for our adversaries with Trump, and he goes all the time for the bait, hook, line, and sinker. He's a tough gut, after all! With an effective leader, however, this entire episode with Iran would surely not have even happened. One can't help but to think that the rulers of Iran are, through Trump, trying to regain lost national support, offsetting an advantage in this domain we've gained through sanctions..
Comedians have had a field day with Trump and his outrageous tweets, but this isn't funny anymore. What is it going to take for Congress to fulfill their duty and act to have him removed from office? Are they waiting until we all start glowing in the dark from radiation poisoning?
2
The mother of all wars, is that a bad translation? Saddam Hussein of Iraq supposedly said the same thing about the Gulf War. It lasted 100 hours. No comparison at all to the Iran vs Iraq War that they fought for almost 8 years in the 1980’s
2
This tweet just makes no sense and worse it is outright reckless. What is he going to do, start a war if they dare threaten America again? Start a war because of words? Iran has not done anything to physically threaten America. They could very easily call his bluff by just repeating their warnings again. Then when he does nothing in return it will just further erode any credibility we have left. It seems to me that Trump is falling apart. He is just lashing out to look strong after a disastrous week in which he was widely perceived as weak standing next to Putin. It's a vicious cycle, he's bluffing to look tough then when they will call his bluff he will wind up looking even weaker. In the end of this sad process no one will take this man seriously even though he is the President of the USA. Sadly I must admit I voted for him. NO MORE!
1
Many Americans believe this, but it's not true:
"Women [in Iran] are subjugated and repressed and made to wear 6th century headgear..."
I remember reading an interview of some Iranian women by an American journalist, who said essentially the same thing to those Iranian women and asked their reaction. They all laughed, and one of them said Iranian women had much more serious problems than the requirement that they wear something in their hair when they go out in public (and it sounds like they do have much more serious problems).
For the record: "hijab" doesn't mean "6th century headgear," though many Americans mistakenly think it means that women must wear full-body covers. Most Tehran women who go out in public wear just a scarf. I agree they shouldn't have to wear even a scarf (though most Iranian women would anyway), but no Iranian woman has to wear "6th century headgear" or anything close to it. That's just "fake news."
1
The republican congress better do its job and prevent WWIII otherwise the blood is also on their hands.
1
It is so positive that Trump is watching out for us in case Montenegro starts WW111. I fear that this congress will do nothing until it is too late.
NYT, it would benefit your readers to report the full comment Rouhani made, which I think is important considering his words preceding the "threat" was a call for peace.
"American must understand well that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace and war with Iran is the mother of all wars."
I fear Trump and his comrades, pushed by Bolton, are going to try to start a war to distract from the president's increasingly damaging and traitorous behavior.
8
@major Thank you. That frankly is a true statement. Of all wars that have some reasonable chance of happening, war with Iran would be the worst. And peace with Iran could resolve many Middle East issues.
1
Someone needs to clue our clueless President that the US doesn't exactly have a sterling record of winning wars in the Middle East. Sounds a lot like his mouthing off to North Korea and we all know that turned out. While we had allies in previous conflicts in the ME, he has effectively estranged the US from most of them.
7
I'm very thankful we have such a strong President in office. Does Iran really want to test his resolve? Seems like he has a few ideas ready to go.
There is no doubt that this souless human man child will start a major war as they come close to an indictment of him. No doubt. We have 77000 people to thank for the destruction of our country and soon others around the world. How can this menace be stopped?
According to Twitter:
"You may not make specific threats of violence or wish for the serious physical harm, death, or disease of an individual or group of people."
Both of these world leaders should be reprimanded by Twitter. How about acting like adults for a change? And follow your own rules, Twitter.
2
@Rob Twitter will not lift a finger until people start getting off of it en masse. But they won't, because they all want to be among the first to read whatever Trump is thinking on any given morning-- and Twitter knows it.
"Mr. Pompeo accused Iran’s leadership of widespread corruption at the expense of its citizens’ welfare."
So Iran has the same problem the USA has today. Does it also involve golf courses and hotels (like Trump's hotel in Azerbaijan, for example)?
From "The New Yorker", Oct.:
"In fact, for the entire Presidential campaign, the Trump Organization knew that it was actively involved with a company that was likely laundering money for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. This is not a wild conspiracy theory; it is an acknowledged fact, confirmed by Alan Garten, the Trump Organization’s general counsel, and not disputed by the White House or any of the people involved." https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-iran-business-ties-trump-di...
Maybe there are 3 people who still are on speaking terms with DJT, Stephen Miller, John Bolton and Putin. No one else has any input. Bolton would Love a war, any war. Miller just loves to hate pretty much everyone, including himself. But they are having slumber parties with junk food and satin pjs, and the end result may be that they get all of us killed in a nuclear war...not a fun way to go.
1
I don't think Trump wrote this tweet. I am sure he agreed with the sentiment, but "Your demented words of violence & death" is not a turn of phrase in his capabilities. Is Steven Miller hanging out ghostwriting Trump tweets late at night?
Why are the increasingly bizarre actions of this abomination of a leader of the supposedly freest and most powerful country of the world allowed to rage unchecked? Is the US not a democracy? Maybe it is time to re-think electoral methods, electing presidents via the Electoral College. He is the prime example of why this should urgently be considered.
The unwavering hostility that Trump has demonstrated towards Iran should be suspicious enough in and of itself, but it seems as though enough people in America either don’t recall the details of the past century, or they just don’t care.
We are still fighting the longest war in American history (with the help of our NATO allies), and the youngest of the troops deployed will never know the reasons that they are putting their lives on the line. If this isn’t abject amorality, then I don’t know what could be.
Iran is not Iraq in 2003. Iran is organized and well educated and will put up a very good fight. War with them will not be a push over. Not to mention the increased displacement of ME populations and the risk of increasing migration. Those nations who have taken in ME migrants since 2003 should be asking Trump if the U.S. is willing to give a home to those we have displaced.
2
Trump is doing everything he can do to push to price of oil higher in a major realignment of geopolitics.
All parties concede Iran had been abiding by the terms of the agreement to stop its nuclear program.
The only reason to stop an agreement with Iran for abiding with the terms of the denuclearization agreement and threaten war is to raise the price of oil and distract from the Mueller probe.
Meanwhile, while Trump declared a great victory in getting North Korea to denuclearize after a private meeting with Kim Jong-un, American intelligence revealed they actually increased nuclear activity after Trump's private meeting.
Consider what Trump has done with the Russians and Saudi Arabia to raise the price of oil 63% since his election:
- revoked America's commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
- revoked Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, imposing sanctions on all exporters of Iranian oil
- sanctioned Venezuela to prevent the country or nation's oil company from issuing debt, vastly reducing oil production and leading the country to sell stakes in natural resources for pennies on the dollar while the people suffer enormously
- Attempting to stop California from implementing energy efficiency standards for automobiles operated in the state. These standards not only lower pollution, but lead the country in pushing automakers to strive for peak energy efficient.
Congress must stop the madness, the corruption, and war threats based on oil economics.
11
To all the people below who have posted negative comments about Trump. Why do you think his approval rating keeps inching up? Can you explain why 80% of Republicans approve the job he is doing and 79% approved of his "work" in Helsinki? Here we have another example of his irrationality, bullying, and, frankly, stupidity. You all call it out and the NYT calls it out. Yet, his approval rating goes up. Do you understand why that is? Do you suppose that Donald Trump is just the symptom? What is the real illness here?
3
The constant manufactured outrage helps Trumps approval ratings. That is literally your answer.
1
Depends on which poll you are looking at doesn't it? Before Donny there was some semblance of containment as we aspire to our better angels. Even before he came into the highest office of our land, he had a hammer to smash our societal norms;the precepts we had built on through generations and across cultures tbat lashed us together as one. He declared war on the pillars of our democracy, babies, women, elderly, the disabled, the dead.... He really has no comprehension of, " One nation under God indevisible with liberty and justice for all."
All this sabre-rattling against Iran really has been a puzzle to me. No one from Iran attacked my country on 9/11, and almost exclusively the terrorist attacks sponsored by ISIS have involved Sunni Muslims and not Shiites. The radical doctrine which has fueled the unrest and the terrorist acts which we in the west, and that which created Isis, came from the kingdom of Saud and not Iran. It would seem that we would be better served to go after the Saudis, if we are looking at the source of our concerns.
6
Tell me again - since the USA has been attacking Iran since the 1950s, why are we threatening them against an attack on us?
Any Iranian would justifiably fear the USA given our history of intervening, not just meddling, in their affairs. Unless, of course, they hope for the return of a Shah-like autocrat, as many of their diaspora do.
When did the US, and the world, go from rational discussion and resolution of issues to governance by Twitter? The last year and a half has been surreaI, and every tweet makes it more so. I have no words left to describe it, although fear comes to mind. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself...and Donald Trump.
4
He is using another approach since all the hand wringing and diplomacy have ended in bogus "deals.". The US is asserting their power, something we should have done in 1979.
1
Asserting power via all-caps tweet? Really?! Please!
Donald Trump, in reality, has very low self-esteem. A war with Iran, in his estimation, would make him a national hero. Sadly, George W. Bush led us into two "ego-boosting" wars, as he, too, needed approval.
1
Dictators always find some week adversary to fight when they are in trouble. It will be a terrible mistake to take on Iran, Iran is a modern country with thousands of years of culture, it is true that the current leadership is religious with opposing views from the US, but starting a military conflict with Iran will only make Israel and Saudis happy are these the countries that the US need on their side?
1
Threats with nothing behind them are worse than no threats at all. This can lead to a dangerous situation when threats become nothing but background noise.
6
For millennia, leaders of nations have always focused their subjects hatred and anger outwards to avoid internal conflict. Trump is merely diverting the nation's attention away from him.
3
Once again, he's "the only one who can fix it" because he caused it in the first place! It's getting to be as predictable as his blaming others for his mistakes or denying that he said something while his electronic voice plays in the background.
First, he says and/or does things to provoke a reaction/ response. Then when that happens, he "hits them back first."
Worst of all, the media and party leaders let him get away with it. Which is the game he has been playing all his adult life -- seeing how much he can get away with ... and then doing that -- and more. Until that lesson is learned by the media people and politicians, there is no light at the end of that tunnel.
Nothing is worse to Trump then to be considered "weak". Trump was shown to be "weak" as a result of his performance at Helsinki. This is a transparent attempt to repair his image as a strong President.
2
Trump hardly seems the right person to be lecturing Iran about human rights with children locked in cages, citizens threatened with revocation of citizenship, vote purging efforts, increased attacks on minority groups and workers rights and with much his country now so excited over the prospect of imposing their religious views on others and further restricting women's reproductive rights. Other countries with equally problematic human rights records are not receiving the same attacks as Iran and are spared the US State Dept "reaching out" and broadcasting within Iran with what was seen, when it was done in the US during the 2016 election, as inappropriate attempts to sow disorder. Is it because those spared countries grovelled sufficiently and tugged forelocks, are building a Trump Tower somewhere or are just making US arms dealers even richer?
Quite a few countries have citizens unhappy with their leaders at any given time for very good reasons but not many make a leap into then granting some God or Allah given right to the US to decide what values they should have, like some planetary prefect imposing rules and regulations which add insult to injury by only applying to some and not others. Much of the rest of the world might also like the US to get rid of Trump before we have another Iraq, Libya or Vietnam but most of us at least recognise that should be done by his own people in their own way.
1
Perfect timing for the distractor in chief. After Helsinki, we could have predicted something like this.
4
I keep waiting for Iran to grow up -- for it to evolve beyond the childish taunts of its revolutionary birth. To no avail, it seems. President Trump, as we know by now, combines two problematic traits: he's impatient, and he's impulsive. What that means for Iran is this: At last, Iran's long era of immature, violent, senseless rhetoric is at an end. President Trump is going to treat Iran like the mature nation it should, by now, be. Ironically, the greatest threats Iran faces are almost totally self-imposed, homemade distractions from the domestic issues on which Iran should be focusing its efforts. It's time for Iran to put away "childish things."
1
WHERE is Congress, most notably McConnell and Ryan? At every turn they blocked President Obama, now they are mute.
Is this lunacy worth a seat on the Supreme Court?
What good is a court and a congress when our country is destroyed from within or from outside forces?
3
Trump continues to be a danger to our country. Remember he backed out of the agreement with our allies and Russia and China on the carefully negotiated Iran deal. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/world/middleeast/trump-Iran-nuclear-d...
This was over the objections of his Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. While all agree it was not an ideal situation, Strategically you pick your battles. Shortly after this Iran lobbed missiles into Israel. As if we don't as a nation have enough animus toward our enemies and calling our allies in the EU the enemy now we have this. And then there was the Helsinki Summit and Trump impulsively inviting Putin to the White House. He is obviously trying to prove that Putin did not have anything to his win and Clinton's loss.
Dan Coates the DNI recently at Aspen openly worried about cyber warfare. We do not have a well-thought plan with White House endorsement. We still have not made any progress with Kim Jong-un and the denuclearization of North Korea. Remember Trump's claims up to the meeting with Kim that we would respond with "fire and fury" the taunts of "Little Rocket Man." He still doesn't recognize that his tweets and taunts have repercussions and this isn't "Fake News." Donald Trump doesn't listen to his staff and every news cycle he creates another headache and a threat to our democracy.
1
We've seen this all before: (1) Trump threatens "fire and fury;" (2) Trump holds a summit, after which he declares "peace in our time;" (3) our adversary (fill in the blank) does whatever it wants and Trump wonders what happened. We used to have gunboat diplomacy -- now it's toddler diplomacy: Trump has a tantrum, gets reassured by his new "best friend," and then is betrayed.
Iraq worked out so well. Let's do it with an even larger Middle Eastern country now.
4
This has more to do with Cohen's recordings and Mueller's investigation, than the Iranians.
3
Here we go again. Let's start another useless war that could've been avoided with diplomacy and time.
Republican's, you want to pay less taxes? Stop supporting and encouraging trillion-dollar wars!
1
Troll just a little bit and Trump will take the bait.
He (Trump) cannot seem to answer any comment with restraint and logic, reason being his lack of both assets.
Why is it the U.S. thinks their will should prevail in distant lands over that of societies that have existed there for thousands of years.
Precious few Americans are aware this all started in 1953 when the U.S. and British governments overthrew a democratically elected leader in Iran to protect petroleum profits.
Trump wants peace with North Korea and Russia, why not try a simple outreach instead of a threat of war with Iran?
2
When I studied history growing up I wondered how World War I could have started because someome was assassinated (Franz Ferdinada, Archduke of Austria). I think I understand better now that I'm older. If only the President of the United States understood that words and actions have consequences. Even on Twitter.
1
Per President Putin's orders, the Republicans are laying the groundwork to take Iran and Venezuela's oil off the market. I'm sure Putin is pleased with the Republican effort to drive up crude prices, but it's not enough.
4
Trump sunk to the level of President Hassan Rouhani. This is traditional middle eastern bluff and bluster (the kind of rhetoric Trump loves when he dishes it out). We heard a lot of it from Saddam Hussein before the war with Iraq. We're seeing the lowest common denominator in action, meaning they are just exchanging the simplest schoolyard taunts. Childish.
1
Iran hasn't liked the U.S. since its regime change to religious versus secular, followed by wars, deaths, paybacks, and want.
But they did the world a favor by signing the denuclearization treaty, despite contempt for the U.S. It was a smart economic move.
Trump's reversal and pull out from the deal has created chaos in Iran's financial sector, and has given Israel a reason to attack Iran, something they are all too eager to do.
I do not know what percentage of Iran's population is pro-terrorism...I think not the majority. This was a cosmopolitan population, well-educated, now confined under a religious government.
The Iranian government wanted to move forward on trade, and bring its country back to the level it used to occupy. They kept their word.
Trump didn't -- typical.
Trump also seems to want to kill people, in the States via no Medicare or Social Security, and minimum wages lower than the '60's, or abroad, by blowing bodies up.
Iran certainly couldn't want more war. Trump, who has never seen military service or been near a war, craves one.
He threatens, and unless that guy carrying the box with the actual nuclear buttons refuses to give it to Trump, along with the assistance of mutinous Secret Service agents, Trump will use nuclear force -- he's just itching to.
2
I'm fine with tough talk on Iran (so long as it is being paired with genuine diplomatic outreach), but Twitter is not the place for presidential chest-thumping, and it continues to sicken me that this ambulatory can of bad spray-on-tanner has normalized this platform.
Also, it would have been nice to see this kind of indignation and "strength" (I wouldn't necessarily call brandishing a gun on the world stage "true" strength) in Helsinki when the orange monster was standing right next to the man who has actively been attacking our democratic infrastructure.
2
Mr. President, We tried "shock and awe" etc. in Iraq and failed miserably. We tucked our tails between legs and ran back home. Iran is a much bigger country and a democracy too with Nuclear weapons. Some of us still think you are not that bad as you haven't declared a war so please don't go for another war. Can somebody ground this president and take away his mobile devices?
2
Did you just say Iran had nuclear weapons? If you have some sort of proof, please reveal it, because that will change the geopolitics of today.
1
@Don Q, I think at least they have the technological know-how. And why not? In my view, Every nation-state should have a nuclear weapons as it is the only way they can avoid being liberated by us.
Is this our 'new normal'? The President of the United States conducts foreign policy, and declares at state of war, in an all-caps tweet that appears to have been drafted by a belligerent and not very bright seven year old boy?
Given recent events, you also have to wonder - did El Presidente confer with anyone in our military, at the State Department, or in Congress before launching this childish salvo? Perhaps Fearless Leader and Stephen Miller cooked it up together - or did The Very Stable Genius' muse speak to him while he was seated on the porcelain throne, with his unsecured 'smart' phone in hand?
2
This is just another Trump diversionary tactic. Now that N. Korea is no longer a "threat", our President needs another bogey man to scare us all into staying with his leadership. The media needs to stop cooperating with this man.
2
We knew he'd look for a distraction as the depth of his treasonous relationship with Russia is revealed and the Mueller investigation closes in on the most corrupt administration in modern American history.
A war! That always works!
Let's review his foreign policy thus far:
A) Cozies up to a mass murderer in North Korea and cancels joint military exercises so as not to provoke him. In exchange? Nothing.
B) Legitimizes another tyrant and mass murderer in Russia while throwing his own intelligence agencies under the bus. In exchange? Their rightfully deserved scorn and the knowledge they backed the right guy to achieve their goals. Not ours, theirs.
C) Anything Israel wants, they get. Move our embassy to Jerusalem, turn a blind eye to murdering rock throwing children and now evidently willing to use American troops to fight a war that Israel, not America, strongly desires but is too cowardly to pursue on their own. Why should they?
All of this in the last month.
Can someone please explain to me how this is "Making America Great Again"?
9
Blow something up and then move on to the next without resolution . . . Paris Climate Accord, Syria, healthcare, N Korea, G7, NATO, TTP and NAFTA, Canada, Helsinki, free trade, immigration. Trump is playing (and losing) one game after another of speed checkers while the rest of the world is playing chess. Iran knows the cycle: withstand a few days of bluster then watch a frustrated and chastened Trump quickly move on to easier targets. I predict a swift retargeting of Kerry and Obama, then, naturally, Hillary, followed by a clean break to what. . . infrastructure, teachers unions, religious liberty . . . So many choices.
3
b
Bibi Natenyahu has been urging the US to attack Iran for years. With the help of Jared Kushner it finally may happen.Iran will not be a pushover.
11
Most of the outside world wouldn't have known about Rahani's speech if not for Trump's absurd tweet. This so-called president will go to war and kill thousands to distract from his crimes.
Once again, Mr. Trump shows that he has few negotiating tools at his disposal other than his favorite one: being a bully. His saber-rattling approach to every issue will draw us into war yet. He appears to think that a war will cement his second term, so he can finish what he started, as so many people thought about George W. Bush.
NO! We need to remove Mr. Trump. He is incompetent and inept, does not live in the real world and constantly endangers the United States through his words and deeds. He has no regard for everyday Americans.
His secret meeting with Putin may yet have fall-out that will endanger us further and his refusal to stand solidly behind our country and our intelligence community risks more internal and external strife.
Meanwhile, he continues to alienate our allies and embrace our enemies.
Iran is a good example. We had an agreement with Iran that, while imperfect, kept them from developing nuclear bombs for some years. Without any other plan in place, Mr. Trump pulled out of that agreement, leaving our allies in the lurch and us squarely in the sights of Iran's arsenal.
3
Here's a timely little article from last October's New Yorker that highlights one of Trump's shady business partners in Azerbaijan who is suspected of laundering money for an Iranian firm linked to the Revolutionary Guard:
ttps://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-iran-business-ties-trump-didnt-disclose
2
He got his tax cuts.
He's been good to Putin, so he will get his 'hotels' in Russia.
Now all he needs is a war.
And then his 'presidency' is complete.
3
“The United States hears you. The United States supports you. The United States is with you,”-Pompeo.
Do they not see that threatening nuclear war makes this statement complete nonsense?
4
There's something perversely comforting knowing that our Bully-in-Chief's Middle East -- and all international policies -- are compromised of the same whimsical impulse of his domestic policies: "Leap before you look, then adjust your remarks after looking at the ratings."
4
Trump is the most present and alarming danger to our national security and to the security of our allies.
He must be removed from office.
He's a terrible driver, and we're now relying on the driving skills and cool heads of nations who are not known for their sagacity.
Now. He must be removed Now.
7
Just in:
"In 2011, Trump predicted in a tweet that then-President Obama would start a war with Iran "in order to get elected" to a second term."
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/23/trump-accused-obama-of-wanting-war-with-...
Well noted, CNBC!
1
How come Trump doesn't want to "get along" with Iran? Doesn't he want to "be friends with them because that's a good thing, right?" Funny how Trump and his foreign policy 'advisors' have a totally different take on Iran. No talks with them! Destroy the nuclear agreement to appease Israel. A total wimp when standing next to Putin, who helped him win the election.
1
How about the “mother of all peace”? I didn’t see that in the Times article.
3
Why doesn't he just threaten him with "fire and fury?"
Let me guess how this plays out: After a couple of months of incendiary back-and-forth, Trump invites Rouhani to a summit, takes a few fotos with that big grin on his face, declares the Iranian leader "strong" and "loved by his people," declares the Iranian nuclear problem "solved," something Obama couldn't do, and then leaves the mess for Pompeo (or Pompeo-replacement) to deal with.
3
Trump's tough talk is nothing but that - TALK. He claims victory with N. Korea, etc. but there's no "proof in the pudding". His atrocious behavior is not only scaring rational Americans, but the rest of the world is cringing (our allies).
Folks like to point out to me that the racially charged behavior increased after Obama became president. Well, that might be true because many of Trump's supporters (some racist themselves) were starting to be riled up, which is why DJT stoked that fire anytime he could (birthers). He watched the reactions of folks and he knew he would run when he thought he had America ripe for the picking. He also knew and conspired with Russia to help him get elected, as well as any GOPers he could recruit or who were already part of his little gang.
The GOP are complicit and some are even part of the treasonous swamp he brought with him. DJT knows how to incite riot within the hearts of those who hate or are scared or angry, and there are plenty.
We must all rise up against the hate, bigotry, treason and swamp creatures who are using our government for their greed. They are using America for their own benefit and we must rise up against this. I believe Maxine Waters sounded slight bit angrier than she should have (though in many ways she was right) but we can rise up peacefully & VOTE the bums out. Yes, do talk to your congressmen & senators & any DJT's cabinet and make it known that we will not stand for their criminal behavior anymore.
VOTE!!
2
Trump is an out of control bully who needs a padded room for a time out. The Catholics and evangelicals who voted for this madness needs to do some soul searching and repent for your worst pick ever for a GOP President. If he gets us in another war it is all on you. Our Pope says pass the world in good shape to the next generation well with Trump and friends it will be destroyed.
1
To be fair, the Pope did no endorse Trump and Catholics are a diverse group and very much divided politically. The ‘leadership’ of ‘the Evangelicals’ did endorse and embrace Trump fully and they are all unified politically in unthinking bigotry behind him.
1
Very dishonest of the New York Times to not print the entire Rouhani quote.
Because the NY Times fails to do its job, here is the full quote:
“America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,”
6
Glad you follow incidents of dishonesty for the rest of us. But you'll undoubtedly find much more of it to track by keeping tabs on the words, Tweets, and otherwise daily statements of Donald Trump.
1
He desperately needs to distract the media from the disaster of Helsinki and the Mueller investigation. Keep poundnig on those threads.
7
Why, oh why would this country allow someone as unstable and ignorant as Donald Trump to lead us into a war? Someone please get this insane man under control. GOP wake up!
9
@brendah
Q: "Why, oh why would this country allow someone as unstable and ignorant as Donald Trump to lead us into a war?"
A: Ignorant and proud of it voters and the GD Electoral College that makes some votes count more than others.
1
Perhaps if The Times, Trump and Pompeo had bothered to read the entire Rouhani sentence where he also says "peace would be the mother of all peace" to understand the nuances of his speech then there wouldn't be so much hysteria. But as usual Trump goes off in his normal half cocked ignorant way.
8
An American comedy actor, perhaps WC Fields, proposed the best approach between stubborn & stupid world leaders in conflict: They should settle their differences in a ring, fighting it out with socks filled with fresh horse manure.
1
If you got em, smoke em.
DT is clearly hell-bent on being a "war president". Where was this enthusiasm during Vietnam?
9
Didn't he already do this shouty thing with China and North Korea and Russia...? I'm starting to think this shouty thing is just his way of saying, "Hey! Can we be BFFs?"
2
Frankly, why should Iran follow this advice ? It's not like Kim Joung Un did not threat the US and got what he wanted anyway...
4
Now with NKorea tucked in and sleeping quietly, time maybe to put the other crying baby to bed.
The thugs who run Iran with their internal terrorism must definitely go. But, the Iranian people will only suffer from any kind of terror that the US or any other country throws at them, whether by missiles or more sanctions. These do not hurt the mullahs, they only hurt the already suffering Iranian people. And, since the mullahs control 100% of the information dissemination to the people, this kind of childish, moronic, school-yard bully kind of message just plays into their hands and helps them to turn the entire country against the US. What kind of an idiot threatens another country with annihilation by Twitter, an app designed for teenagers to discuss their angst?
8
How many millions will have to die before the spineless GOP vice president and cabinet remove this menace from office?
14
GOP has been rolling their eyes and asking us to ignore what Trump says and look what he does.
Do we really want nuclear codes in the hands of one who elicits eyerolls?
3
Does anyone see the finger prints of Steven Miller in that past DT's bedtime tweet?
6
Please, add Bolton to that list.
Mr. Rouhani is not Patrice. BTW Bossman, do you remember that the Shah of Persia is no longer around and King Leopold III has taken exit from the Congo?
Will someone PLEASE take away his phone and make him wear mittens. The world will be a better and safer place for it.
4
Trump is a puppet of wealthy pro-Likud donors like Sheldon Adelson and Israeli hardliners like Netanyahu, and he has Jared Kushner "advising" him. Netanyahu sees Trump as a "useful idiot" is trying to push him into a military conflict with Iran, and then American taxpayers will be on the hook to finish it. We cannot let this happen. There are better ways to "make a deal" with Iran.
6
The "greatest generation" helped save the world during World War II and it seems Trump wants to start World War III against the foes in Europe, Canada, and Iran (?) with our new friends in North Korea and Russia. Let's bring the racist bigotry back too. And the lies will spew from the America side this time. Making America what again?
2
Iran's Reply should be "k". That would be classic.
4
I’d think the best one word response would be “nuts!” That’s a WW2, operation Market Garden, reference.
Unfortunately, Trump is us. The Human race is ravaging the planet, poisoning everything, killing animals, plants, insects, coral, and using religious beliefs to make it all "moral". Sounds like the embodiment of our culture and society.......in the White House.
3
Methinks the prez could use more fiber in his diet. This particular emanation must've been stuck sideways for a while - all those caps!
Either that, or the Fearful Distraction Potential of his other self-made crises is on the wane.
4
Hey Donald: Can you say the same thing to your pal Putin not to wage information warfare against the United States?
7
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".
Or even mediocre men - and women.
Congress, I'm talking about you.
This President is a grave threat to the lives of Americans and the well-being of our democracy. Remove from office now!
3
Instead of all this hand wringing about what Trump "really meant" by this tweet, how about simply stating the obvious? That he is a mentally unstable man who sees his world caving in, as Mr. Mueller's investigation begins to tighten the noose? Trump simply cannot stand the most recent disclosures of his administration's conspiracy with Russia, and his poll numbers dropping after his treasonous talk against our own intelligence agencies. Somewhere in his reptilian brain, Trump understands that it is just a matter of time before all his corruption and conspiring with an enemy nation become public.
This sort of deranged tweet should receive absolutely no serious attention, as it has obviously been made by someone who has no control over his faculties at this point.
And by its over the top, hysterical tone, this latest tweet does nothing but announce to the world that we have a seriously insane man leading our nation. They are right to call the U.S. a laughing stock, and to make our nation an international pariah, as long as this disgusting man is our President.
Since this "president" has been in office some eighteen months now, and hasn't started a nuclear war, I must conclude that the nation's senior military has already decided to ignore any "orders" this insane man gives them to press the nuclear button. Thus they have left this infantile disgrace of a man with his cell phone, where he can spend all day with his deranged rants, rather than blowing up the planet.
3
We are witnessing the complete meltdown of an already unhinged mind. (How many broken dishes and cups and smashed figurines are strewn about the White House)?
This man's theme song should be "Maniac". Instead of taking a spin on the Dance Floor- he's doing the "5150" Cha-cha-cha on the world stage.
It is imperative that every sane voter get out and vote Democrat in November. And....no. A President Pence would not be worse; he can be contained.
6
I'm actually very encouraged now about how the World has come to realize Trump is a raving lunatic in search of a war to divert internal attention outward. The Military must really admire Trump. He's just like them. Additionally, Pompeo's appeals to the Iranian people are just what Russia did to our nation so he has actually destroyed what political leverage we gained as victims of Russian influence. They just keep getting dumber and dumber.
Things were okay with Iran until the Chump was elected. He then cancelled an agreement with Iran that was working, one that is similar to the one he is trying to set up with North Korea. Who knows what he wants, it changes from hour to hour.
1
Kinda surprised he has found a "strong man" that he doesn't like.
11
For what it is worth, at this late stage, here is what started all the trouble 40 years ago. On evening of Oct. 29, 1979 the Ruff House T.V. program with host Howard Ruff was aired in Atlanta, GA. USA. That evening Mr. Ruff had a special guest former CIA Director William Colby. In course of program subject of Iran came up and Colby said Iran "could soon have a new government, a military leader could be coming to power and the new government will be friendly toward Israel.". That evening the message from Colby was conveyed by letter to the former Embassy of Iran in Washington and an acknowledgement letter was received from the embassy dated Nov. 4, 1979. In the letter of Nov. 4, 1979 the Charge d'Affaires Hon. Ali A. Aga
made this statement "Of course they could not come back after the commercial to talk about a new government in Iran."
Oh geez, there he goes again...
Trump again resorts to threatening war to DISTRACT from his complete disaster in Helsinki and the start of his campaign manager's guaranteed damaging trial.
Nice try, Trump. America is so sick of it.
3
So did he make a deal with Vladimir Putin, like "I'll take Syria and you can take Iran and we can control all the oil in the Middle East together, OK buddy?" Wink-wink. Shake hands. No witnesses.
2
We should not threaten whole countries with annihilation on Twitter. (or anywhere else)
3
Islamic regime in Iran is a murderous regime, but so is Israel.
Hence Trump's administration has no credibility when talking about human rights.
3
Trump is a desperate man! This is just what he needs to give the impression he is the Commander-In-Chief. It is so obvious that we have a delusional madman in the WH. Yes, Iran has to be watched carefully and we were doing that with the Iran Nuclear deal that Trump pulled the U.S. out of in a fit of anti-Obama-policy bluster. Trump is an uneducated nitwit who shoots off his mouth without consulting anyone in his administration. In regards to the Iran nuclear deal, Gen. Joseph Dunford, Joint Chiefs Chairman said, "It has delayed nuclear capability by Iran." When James Mattis, Sec. of Defense was asked, "Do you think it's in our national interest to remain in the Iran deal." He answered with a resounding, "Yes." But does Trump do?! Donald Trump and his insane Tweets about destroying countries are dangerous and childish. We need to take his Twitter account away from him and send him to bed without any McDonald's, then impeach him...
1
He’s obviously trying to distract from the Manafort trial.
3 bad situations are currently feeding off each other:
the U.S. is in an all encompassing internal war – TRUTH vs DECEIT.
israel is in an undeclared conventional war of weapons with iran – trying in every way possible to expand it and bring us in.
we have an ego-maniacal, war mongering, LIAR sitting in our white house looking for any way possible to get attention off his constant bad judgment, endless lies and reprehensible actions - drawing us in to a conflict that should NEVER EXIST IN 2018 but might be impossible to avoid.
4
Trump is despicably weak--all blow and no go. The United States would lose badly in a conflict with Iran. Tweeting in all caps is easy. War is hard, and the Iranians know this very well.
2
I guess this bombastic threat will work as well with Iran as it has with North Korea.
Dear Iranian people,
Try to convince your rulers to invite the trump to Tehran, and roll out the red carpet. Treat him with deference, like the king he thinks he is (fake it - he won't know the difference). Give him a parade, and project his picture on some buildings, throw a big party for him and ply him with a few special baubles as gifts, and the big baby will be pacified.
Problem solved.
5
What's the over/under on the announced Summit with the Iranian leader? Don the Con had the same nonsense Tweet last summer only Kim (LRM) was the focus of his anger, or is it insecurity, I can't tell.
Yeah, it's great to have a 'tough guy' in the Oval Office.........NOT!
It is going to take time to notice but Trump has diminished US influence and standing in the World.
Yes, if the US bombs Iran the western leaders might be forced to support this. Under threat from the US.
But already the rest of the world is making new alliances and treaties.
And the world will never again trust us like they have in the past.
That is the new world order. It is not some temporary alignment of Russia and the US.
The new world order is simply a world of which the US is no longer the leader.
We are the strongest and richest, but we are losing our standing as the leaders of the free world, and all the benefits that came with that.
4
Old bone spurs denounced the Republican war in Iraq, but now he threatens to drop trillions of dollars into a war in Iran.
Twitter allows Trump's meaningless, recalcitrant, uppercase tirade. Plato banned poetry in his Republic; we need to ban Twitter.
Maybe someday we'll have a leadership that will develop a rational Middle East policy. Trump is too poorly equipped to reason, so we'll get nothing out of him and his dumbed-down, parroting staff.
We need to restore a rational government in this nation.
3
He sounds unhinged. I can't believe that Twitter would allow a person to threaten war on their platform. If he can tweet things like that, then why delete anyone else's tweets?
16
The Iranian people called Mr. Pompeo and said they don't want the Shah back.
Pots calling kettles black comes to mind when this is said: "Mr. Pompeo accused Iran’s leadership of widespread corruption at the expense of its citizens’ welfare." This is likely true, but not only for Iran.
6
He wants a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani as well so that he can claim before the midterms that he solved NK, Iran and Russia threats that Obama could not in eight years. What happens in these meetings is not important. That will all worked out later by the staff.
1
This tweet is the equivalent of a parent screaming in a grocery store to assert their authority in light of misdeeds .... it is not good discipline, it says more about the screaming parent, and it actually does harm. Some will say “ it’s good to be tough” but this is a ludicrous and unproductive way to do it.
2
What is REALLY scary is that this tweet about Iran attributed to Trump is so obviously NOT from him. It uses grown up language, not his usual early reader vocabulary of "good/bad" "big/little" "worst/best." Who is speaking for the U.S. anonymously...Bolton, Miller, Bannon?
3
How did we give, and why are we still giving so much power to such an unstable maniac (Erdogan or Trumpovich). Day after day, the spiral tightens, leading deeper into the abyss. Who knows what all- caps threat comes next. The thought that my nation is lead by a twidiot is both frightening and sickening. It seems as the sincerest form of patriotism at this moment is emigration.
4
Amazing that the party that made such big deal about Hillary’s server has no concerns that the President is conducting foreign policy on an unsecured phone via Twitter.
No surprise though. Hypocrisy along with racism is what the GOP is built on. How else do you explain a party of devout Evangelicals embracing a thrice married serial philanderer who wants to date his own daughter. It certainly helps that Evangelicals’ “devotion” to the Bible is only surpassed by their utter contempt and disdain for minorities.
17
Our constitution needs a redo; never again should we hand so much power into one person’s hands, however big or small.
The idea that one person with a simple tweet can hurl the US toward an unnecessary war is insane.
Stop the insanity now!
7
It will take a long time for the US to recover from Trump.
5
This is so blatantly transparent. He looked weak in front of Putin. Now he wants to appear strong. Hence, threatening Iran in a tweet. When is this national nightmare going to end?
3
Mr Trump is indeed goading them into a war. It's his only hope apart from whatever heinous crime he and Putin are planning.
3
If past is prelude the Iranians will be getting a face to face sit down with all sanctions dropped.
Just slip him the funding for the Trump Plaza Tehran.
1
It takes a lot of gall for this administration to accuse any government of widespread corruption.
8
Here we go: Another distraction to get the public off the Russian blundering of last week.
This week, Trump blusters about Iran. I wonder if Kim Jun un is tuned in?
Will the GOP act? Will they do anything?
3
Trump has wised up. He has found that verbally attacking our traditional ally leaders and buddying up to our traditional enemy, is very politically damaging.
So now he is picking an easier target to bully. Any action against Iran puts the liberal world in a bind. After all, we have made Iran our great enemy.
However, matter the course of action Trump takes, the fact remains he is a liar, he is unstable, he is full of hate and he is a bankrupt developer and reality TV personality.
And he is the one who broke a working agreement with Iran.
3
He's learned nothing
2
“The level of corruption and wealth among regime leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the Mafia more than a government,” Pompeo said.
Am I the only one who did a spit take when I read one of the top members of the Trump kleptocracy utter these words? If Rouhani is a corrupt thug - when can we expect his invitation to the White House?
10
@gdurt
Kleptocracy?
Trump maybe many things but this isn't quite sticking to the "facts" that Left accusing Trump to not be friendly with... :)
Man donates his presidential $400K salary to charity... not quite a kleptocratic move... and kleptocracy implies stealing from Gov't/Taxpayers not just doing business...
If his companies benefit while he's in office... well he can't help if his business is successful... also ask N. Pelosi how's her investments are doing while she's a congresswoman or Ms. Warren's real estate little empire... :)
One thing that will help T-2020 is the overblowing Trump's vilification... that will only assure his success...
1
I'm a political moderate and not a fan of twitter rants, but I am also sick and tired of being threatened by weaker fanatics who would kill us all immediately if they had our power.
2
@Christopher Carrier......So when was the last time Iran was supplying arms to Mexico and urging them to attack us?
American Presidents typically hide things about themselves in order to get elected.
Kennedy’s health problems, his womanizing; Clinton’s womanizing; all of this was carefully hidden away during their election campaigns.
Trump -- to his everlasting credit -- hid nothing.
Not a thing.
He instead went out-of-his way to advertise all of his bad traits on TV and by Twitter.
His grossness, his coarseness, his non-stop lying, his laziness, his ignorance of government and public policy issues, his draft dodging, his tax cheating, his abuse of women, his evictions of old people, his rough treatment of the people who were swindled at Trump University, all of these and more were fully on view.
Every American who cast their ballot for him in 2016 (even if by accident) or was too stupid or lazy to vote now owns a share of the blame for the catastrophe that has befallen us.
November would be a very good time for beginning to hold them accountable.
11
Therefore, my Harry,
Be it thy course to busy giddy minds
With foreign quarrels.
(Henry IV, Part 2; Act 4 scene 5)
2
Once again we are confronted with the fact that the only way to explain Trump is in psychiatric terms. All other criteria for assessing his goals, policies, motivation shatter against the stone wall of mental illness. He is an extreme narcissist. This means that he unloads on anybody who defies him with the most excessive language and threats. He believes himself to be the smartest guy around. Anybody who challenges his self-image as the all powerful leader will be decimated. There is no sober thought, no half measures, no rationality. Narcissist are disruptive and dangerous in any government or working environment.
10
Excuse me Mr T?
Any chance we could get that Infrastructure bill
you promised ? Any chance we could get that Health care remedy you promised, you know, cheaper and much better than Obama Care?
Our cities are crumbling, our fellow Americans are being crushed by healthcare costs, housing cost and everyday living costs.
You, and your crew, got your tax breaks, you got your military increases. You got your environmental rollbacks, and drilling permits, for your crew in the Energy sector. And we know how your making $$$ for your own interests.
What about us, the American citizenry? When do you go to bat for us, for real, not just in tweets?
9
More empty threats from the Empty Head in the White House. Exactly what does Trump think he'll do if the populace of Tehran starts chanting "Death to America"? The real answer? Nothing. Just more hot air from the largest source of it on the planet.
1
Report him on Twitter. It might be considered a merely symbolic gesture, but it is simple to do, and it felt more than symbolical to me.
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Twitter
2
Given the threat of nuclear war implied there on Twitter, I definitely don't feel safe. Exactly what is it going to take to get nukes out of this man's reach? For the safety of the world... Can we just take a national vote real quick to take the nuclear option from Trump? Maybe the world might trust us again. It's only till we get someone mentally stable into office. 2 years max.
It's about time that the killers in Iran received the appropriat response to their threats. Violent bullies can never be cajoled into civilised behavior.
1
@John hannon…. "Violent bullies can never be cajoled into civilised behavior."....Are you referring to Trump?
1
“CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED”
This sociopath would start a nuclear war as a form distraction.
7
Ha ha, and the next thing you know there will be a "surprise" summit meeting after which Trump will proclaim Rouhani to be his new "best bud." Haven't we seen this movie before?
5
it's trump's language, vocabulary, rage that thinking americans recoil against. reminds me of my father's tirades when he was drunk. trump disgraces and undermines himself and drags all of us along with him. these mindless threats in capital letters are infantile. he is apparently incapable of self reflection.
2
Didn’t we just do this with little rocket man? After ginning up a crisis over N Korea, Trump goes over a French kisses Kim into giving up his nukes. Except he isn’t. And the result? Crickets. Now Trump is moving on to Iran to create yet another diversion.
3
Why is it that men who avoided military service during war time, perhaps because of bone spurs, are always the first to use the threat of military action against an adversary?
What's the word used to describe someone who would send my children into harm's way but ran for the hills when they had the chance to fight?
Oh, yeah, chickenhawks!
5
Montenegro is breathing a sigh of relief that they weren't Trump's object of deflection. But don't think you won't be the target in the future. He's just starting to build a case. Tough people. Tough people. World War 3. Bleeve me.
1
Trump, ever clueless by choice (as he refuses to learn, based on the truth and the evidence), is a warmonger, forgetting that any stupid tweet may have untoward consequences, as words once sent to the ether cannot be retrieved that easy. Trump's attitude is brutish, as it was with North Korea... until he decided to sit down and send love letters to Kim Yong-un, a cruel despot towards his own people, a plus for Trump no doubt. What would it take to ease tensions with Iran, decidedly another country thirsty for regional dominance (as is, or was, the United States)...but anxious to have a rational dfiscussion with the U.S., to halt the antagonistic attitudes and find solutions instead of insults aimed at ego-satisfaction...and escalation towards war, a lose-lose proposition no matter how you look at it. Besides, can't we see that investment in education, health and housing is far superior than the waste in producing a bomb? Republicans out there, lazy and coward, have the obligation to defend decency and justice...by stopping a runaway beast in the Oval Office. Where are they, poor things, having to think how to 'pass the buck' ?
1
Interesting article, that is a fallout from Sec State Mike Pompeo's speech yesterday about Iran and corruption - which I cannot find anywhere in NYT news! So our Sec State accused Iran and its leaders of corruption. OK, let's hear another one about Russia and Putin. I mean, how many of the ayatollahs murdered political dissidents and those in the press? Or does Russia and Putin get a pass since their Trumps' BFF? Does the GOP say anything about that? Nope, they are now fully complacent with the American dictator. Who seems to be itching for a war with somebody...
1
We have 106 days until the Mid-term elections. If the Democrats take control of the House the Liar-in-Chief can tweet all the threats he wants. His Twitter Diplomacy won’t go far if he’s thinking war resolutions against Iran because he won’t have the votes.
5
Keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this nightmare that Trump is actually the president. It's Trump himself whose demented words advocating violence of the worst kind that we should fear. Keep wondering if the DNC rues that it stood in the way of giving Bernie a fair shot at being their presidential nominee, given the nightmarish consequences we are facing now.
4
I wonder if this is the reason he is friendly towards Putin. He needs an ally as he plans an escalation of aggression towards the Muslim state. George W. also thought pushing violence with violence would work in the Middle East. I am so sick of this philosophy that being the biggest bully is the answer. This may be the grand plan of these simpletons.
1
Congress needs to reassert its powers to determine if and when and where we go to war. The cowards need to grow a spine and stop this nonsense, that or start a draft and make sure the off spring of the Republican donors and Trump supporters go first. That would change a lot of peoples tune very quickly.
2
Thank you Mr. Trump for providing the fundamentalist Islamists with a little more grist for their fundraising mill. I am sure your latest tweet rant will be used with great success to whip up more jihadist hatred of the west. You are not the only one with an irrational "base" to play to.
3
Reinstitute the military draft system and subject the sons and daughters of billionaires to the equal likelihood of serving their country in the event of a major conflict. Let’s see what happens. And heel spurs are no excuse.
2
My prediction is that Trump will negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran which will be essentially the same as the one that came before it (with one or two new details for plausible deniability). He will then declare another "victory" and move on.
1
Oil prices are rising as a result of Trump's tweets.
What is one country currently under economic sanctions that benefits from the rise of oil prices?
Russia.
2
This tweet (no doubt approved by Putin who hates Iran, of late) is bringing into focus the confusion around Syria, Israel, Iran and Russia. But, some things are very clear.
Russia has been an ally to Iran in the past and Iran seems to back Assad (and so does Russia), but Israel seems to want Iran out of Syria and Russia seems to support this.
After meeting with Putin, Trump is banging the war drums with Iran. If Trump starts a war (near the mid-terms, no less), it will mean Israel, Trump (the lone president) and Russia (backing Turkey) all united against Iran to support an Assad backed Syria. Nato will be forced to support the USA and Israel, and in effect, the whole word fights to remove Iran from Syria - all for Putin.
Its not exactly World War 3 if we’re all fighting to get rid of Iran for Russia. For Russia: Nato, Israel and the USA are now just little pawns for Putin to get what he wants. Maybe this realization will dismantle Nato. If it doesn’t, then, well, Putin will take Syria as a decent gain for the Trump experiment and continue to attack the US democratic institutions in cyberspace while he sets up new battles for the USA and Nato to fight for him.
One thing that is not confusing: Putin is running the world right now.
If you turned on your good friends, embraced people that you wouldn't have anything to do with, say at your church, what do you think would happen? Applying his behavior to ours in our everyday world, would be ruinous to our lives. Laying waste to our friends while exalting bad people is not a winning strategy for any of us.
So, why do we think his behavior is acceptable? Why do the Republicans put up with it? Why, why, why? Afraid of "the base"? Good grief. The base is a minority in this country and yet the Republicans let them call the shots. Wouldn't it be better if they thought of the country/world instead of their own job and do their jobs of protecting us?
2
It's apparent that if Trump takes the United States to war with Iran, it will not be possible for Special Prosecutor Mueller to continue his investigation.
Trump is frightened to the point of paranoia with the tightening spiral of evidence leading ever closer to his doorstep. He has received signals from Congress that firing Rod Rosenstein or Jeff Sessions would provoke disaster for his administration, or at least be politically complicated, especially with the mid-terms imminent.
War, however, gives the US President the excuse to wield extraordinary powers that aren't typically tolerated during peacetime, such as the suspension of habeas corpus and the imprisonment of dissenters and malcontents.
Anyone who thinks that Trump wouldn't go this far is deluding themselves.
2
I know I'm probably late to this party, but here's King Lear.
"I will have such revenges on you both
That all the world shall -- I will do such things --
What they are yet I know not, but they shall be
The terrors of the earth!"
Of course Lear didn't have nuclear weapons...
3
Why is there no mention of the way the checks and balances are supposed to work in this constitutional government? Is Congress prepared to declare war on Iran? Let's have some hearings.
1
Twitter explicitly bans threats of violence. Can we talk about why Trump is *still* being permitted to use the service, and why Twitter isn't being held to account for giving him a platform to sow instability? Why are advertisers still using the platform? Why are any of us?
5
@Peter
Twitter? I can't figure out how he's still allowed to hold office.
A minority of American voters has made the institution of the presidency the personal playground of a man who clearly belongs in a different kind of institution and there is apparently nothing the majority can do about it. It's way past time for us to stop referring to our nation as a democracy.
1
Mr. Trump has not been shy about his goal of dismantling the European Union. He sees the EU as an enemy whose collective economic power significantly exceeds that of the US, which makes it immune to bullying in trade negotiations. Now he seems to have found a way for taking the EU apart: Start a war with Iran and, as in Syria, that will cause millions of Iranian refugees heading for Europe.
Mr. Trump's calculation is rather simple: if Syrian refugees, coming from a country with pre-war population of 23 million, were able to cause so much political instability in Europe, then 80 million Iranians knocking at Europe's doors should do the job! No wonder Mr. Trump was repeatedly warning the EU about "immigration"!
2
Let Congress make clear to President Trump that he is NOT authorized to initiate war action against a country unless it is authorized by a declaration of war passed by Congress.
2
How do Trump voters in the military services feel about fighting another Middle East war, I mean the ones who would be taking the bullets, bombs and missiles and probably some banned chemical weapons too?
2
Smoke screen to detract from Russia inquiry. Half of Iran's 82 million population is under 30 y.o. There is a strong under-current of progressive political ambitions.
President Trump may consider ignoring Iran and let the CIA do their job of intelligence gathering. Inciting war or threatening Iran may result in unexpected consequences.
The region (Middle East) is the most volitile political area in the world. Unless there is good evidence that suggest Iran would 'first strike' U.S. or her interests, bullying Iran on the basis of empty threats that are consistent with Iran's approach to U.S., may trigger Saudi Arabia, Israel and Russia in offensive and defensive actions in the region.
Old saying: 'sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me'.
Yes, another "angry" trump that reads the headline of update about "news around the world" - and he sends a tweet like this.
As an American-Iranian, perhaps he weakened the Iranian government's image of them to the people if they stay quiet from now on. Are THEY may also double down and rally the people behind themselves which wouldn't go good for the region.
And trust me - he won't be getting the Nobel "peace" prize for this one. Hopefully Mr Mueller will have enough to kick him out of that house.
In Trump’s defense, he is totally insane.
And it’s not his fault that our system of government offers no realistic solution for this situation.
If only those who are supposed to be the checks and balances were motivated to serve the country rather than their own personal gain.
3
Dire consequences of the Trump regime.
This is just the old and used tactic to deflect away from
the Manafort court case that starts on Wednesday.
There will be wall to wall media coverage of the Manafort
court case, and Trump will be under the microscope in more
detail as evidence comes out of the court.
So how to defend and deflect?
Trump comes up with Iran, and threatening Iran with war,
in a hope that the media will deflect away from Manafort and to Iran.
Deflecting to Iran is more for the Fox/RT audience,
as they need something else to peddle than the facts about
the Manafort court case.
Trump is just an old wiped out propagandist.
1
Now we're beginning to see some of the things Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin talked about in that secret 2-hr. conversation. Putin agreed to let Trump play "war hero president" in Iran in exchange for what? As our president loves to say, we'll have to see what happens.
I am slightly encouraged by the NYT not putting this story at the top of its home page. I wish the press would just report "Trump threatened Iran with an all-caps rant. While his supporters like its macho tone, most experts, diplomats and educated people agree that ranting is counter-productive and brings us down to the level of third-world countries and/or authoritarian dictatorships. Most see this for what it is, an effort to distract the news cycle from the ongoing Putin-Trump Helsinki summit fiasco, and related developments into Trump's connections to Russia. Now back to real news..."
1
So Trump is willing to go to war to increase the price of oil? Make no mistake, this has nothing to do with nuclear arms or our national security. It will only alienate our allies and give free rein to China and Putin to invade us, whether with traditional or nuclear arms, tariff wars or cyber attacks. Please Congress, don't let him take us into an unnecessary and destructive war.
Once again Trump holds up the keys, shaking and dangling them and says " Look over here! ". True to form, the press dutifully reports it like it's a legitimate press release. The SOS Pompeo got his orders to issue a supportive statement to the cameras, as directed by Trump over the weekend. All to change the narrative from his shameful performance at Helsinki. Are we supposed to believe this is the first time Iran has made threatening statements about the US? It's always in their narrative to talk of war. What's really different this time?
The Republicans always have to have an enemy to deflect from their own shortcomings. Trump picks a fight and everybody gets out their flags.
It's all so predictable.
2
We as a country have forgotten why we live by rules that may or may not be written down but nonetheless were understood and respected. This is the core problem the media and non-Trump supporters have at the moment as we try to honor the rules set in place while dealing with someone who doesn't respect anything but himself. He sees himself as an emperor completely above anything and his supporters actually like that as he is their champion.
They do not realize that Trump threatening the lives of average Iranians does nothing to resolve issues between the nations. They cannot put themselves in the shoes of Iranians hearing a belligerent, unhinged bully with nuclear weapons telling them that they better behave or face the consequences. They cannot feel how they would respond to such an action by a foreign power though naturally they would be defiant and resist - willing to die to defend what they believe is right.
The media needs to explain why this is wrong instead of assuming people know. The people were sold on the idea that things are "bad" because we continue to follow rules and we needed someone to shake things up. It may not be today or tomorrow but one day there will be a reckoning and they will be to blame. Enlighten them, please.
Imagine, every elected Republican standing together, showing up at the White House and telling Trump it's time for him to go. They could speak as one, united voice, thus ending their spineless behaviour of protecting their own jobs. It is getting to the point where the world needs this insane spectacle to END. I thought waiting until November would (hopefully) suffice, but the knot in my stomach this morning tells me otherwise.
1
The way I think about both the United States and Iran: bad, often unhinged government, but good people. The people of the two countries are clearly what can save both of them, and the only way they can do this is by replacing their bad government with a moderate and sane one.
1
Will this perhaps lead to a vague promise like the North Korean "resolution" and reinstatement of the existing accord. It's clearly what Putin wants, more so with Iran as a client state. And Trump's objectives seem to be both to serve Putin's matters in areas that affect him and to "undo" anything associated with President Obama. I assume that the media room is already working on a trailer, this time about golf resorts in the desert.
The Trump presidency is like leaving a three year old running around town with a loaded machine gun. Unfortunately, we’ve learned that about a third of the country is apparently equally impulsive and immature. They seem to think they’re watching an entertaining wrestling match on television, until their kids come home missing a limb or worse.
1
The ONLY thing about Trump I agree with is pulling out of the agreement with Iran, especially as they have acted much worse since signing it. That is, not only has their behavior not improved, but they are more aggressive. That takes care of any gratitude they should have had to Kerry, Obama or EU. So stop the tweets, sanction to the max, and act to help both Arab allies and Israel when needed. War with American troops is not the next step. Threatening war is ridiculous as a sign our determination. Let sanctions work. And tell your friend Russia to stop supporting Iran’s awful actions.
@Mel
"And tell your friend Russia to stop supporting Iran’s awful actions." We need to "help both Arab allies and Israel when needed."
Because, of course, neither of them is guilty of anything awful.
Distracting and deflecting from his Helsinki mess,
Trump creates an entirely new "crisis" with a bizarre tweet.
You can always tell when Trump is in "panic" mode.
2
Threatening nuclear war via Twitter? I thought the person I saw texting while driving this morning was harmful and irresponsible.
2
Israel, the Royal Saudis and big oil have been trying to drag America into a war with their arch enemies Iran, Syria and Russia for decades, they almost got their wish had HRC been elected, she made no secret of the fact she was willing to “do anything” for Israel and the actions under her watch involving Victoria
Nuland and the coup in Ukraine underscores the lengths she was willing to go to fullfill that pledge.Trump is in office partially because he pointed this out we have been fighting, dying and paying for wars for special interests for decades, he promised to stop this, apparently like so many other promises he made to the rank and file he is flipping on this as well, what’s the reason this time, does he or his family need loans from Israel or The Saudis?
1
If we could get Twitter to close Trump's account, we could effectively render him mute.
By withdrawing from the Nuclear Treaty with Iran, the Trump Administration is now setting the stage to "bomb and destroy" Iran's nuclear facilities. This is part of Benjamin Netanyahu's wish to hit Iran at its core and indirectly weaken its allies in the Middle East, especially Hamas. For the Trump Administration, there is another potential benefit: it can serve as a distraction to the Russia Inquiry (Mueller) which is beginning to wear on the president.
1
IF the US was really with the people of Iran as Mr. Pompeo claims, it would not have pulled out of the nuclear deal, leading the way to more sanctions and an even worse economy. Poor economies and lack of opportunity breed extremism. Trump has given a new generation of Iranians reason to see America as a lying snake. All of this is counter-productive and destructive.
He will do or say anything to change the topic. Fire and fury. Wrecking ball. War mongering by tweet. Why?
He can't erase the lasting image of his weak submission to Russia's Putin.
Alienated our transatlantic alliance. Made a fool of himself in the UK. Might be followed by a mocking balloon for the rest of his presidency. Got played by North Korea, which labeled his administration 'gangster.' Neither he nor his hapless son-in-law can save the Middle East.
Starts wars on the domestic front, attacks the Federal Reserve + American corporations, threatens tariffs + protectionist law ruinous to America.
All to distract from the inevitability of the Muller Investigation.
Quite clearly, it's Mueller Time.
This is a distraction, period. NYT should recognize this and not blast it on the front page. Most of Mr. Trump’s tweets are a distraction and his attempt to control the narrative. As well, many if not all have some elements of deception and most twist the truth. This type of coverage turns me off.
1
According to Bernard Lewis, the Iranian Mullahs would not care less about Mutually Assured Destruction once they get the bomb, or more accurately, MAD to them would be an inducement. But BEFORE they get the bomb they can still be deterred. So Trump has finally found a way to deal with them.
2
Could it be that this tweet is the one Trump wishes he had sent to Putin, given the firestorm that his appeasement at Helsinki sparked?
The ancient advise mentioned in religion to remove fire from you tongue still hold. God gave that to Moses on his way back to Egypt. There is no point making statements or say words igniting fire for no reason.Iran will sell its oil if not by sea then by land connections. Not all super powers;China or Russia support Trump's policies.It just is not possible to completely ban export of Iranian oil.
1
Iran is not innocent; however, this is not how you deal with them. Keep in mind, if we attack Iran, they unleash misses on Israel and am confident that they will be more effective than Saddam’s SCUDs.
1
This is Trump's push back against the recent accusations that he was weak in his Helsinki performance with Putin. He actually believes that writing a tweet in all CAPS will rectify it.
1
Watch out for the shiny objects this president keeps throwing out to distract the media and the people. In the meantime Congress is undermining the very foundations of our society and government and this man's "agencies" are dismantling the fiber of our social fabric.
There is much more to be concerned about than his chest beating. All CAPS? Read on...
1
Trump keeps acting like a madman/villian you might see in a Steven Seagal or Jason Statham movie yet the GOP continues to look the other way..
Even if Trump started WW III with the UK later today, as long as he keeps nominating far right crackpots on the federal courts, they won't do a thing...
Republicans have sold their souls for judges...Period
1
Even to the most naïve it ought to be clear by now that in Helsinki the quid pro quo with Putin, given by our Commander and Chief, involved Iran. All that is missing now is a Gulf of Tonkin or 'Yellow cake' type excuse.
1
It's getting disheartening to read comments to any stories on front pages of NYT. Regardless of topic, they generally dissolve into a condemnation of this POTUS and not a policy of our government.
Let's get this straight about this Iran deal - the 44th never submitted it to the Senate for ratification even though it was a treaty in all but a name. He did not submit because he knew it would have been rejected.
Our constitution says ALL treaties require Senate ratification.
This POTUS campaigned on refusing to sign waivers as required by this agreement. The waivers were to certify that Iran is not misbehaving in any other spheres. Israel release of that trove of information, irans actions in Syria and it's support of enemies of Israel - are hardly actions of a government with who we had a treaty and that this POTUS could sign a waiver on.
So, the world, Iran and many commenting below should hardly be surprised that this POTUS withdrew.
Now, as to his tweets - I would rather have a POTUS (from now on, I expect all will follow him) speak up in his own voice than through endless leaks by sources who typically are road testing final sentiments or decisions.
Now, whether one agrees with suspension of rocket launches etc by North Korea had anything to do with these tweets - they have stopped. The Washington Post reported that the POTUS is fuming privately over North Korea.
So, give another day or two - we may just have an ALL CAPITAL TWEET.
Trump's diversionary ALL CAPS Twitter Assault on Sunday is not only an obvious attempt to divert attention from his own downward spiral on collusion with Russia, it is a direct provocation on the way to satisfying Putin's pragmatic need for an expanded Middle East war that will drive up oil prices in a way favorable to Russia's petroleum product export dependent economy.
Ironically, according to Iran Contra-Iran Investigation findings, Iran may have participated with Reagan's campaign by stalling hostage negotiations with the Carter Administration based upon Bill Casey and Bud McFarland intimating that a better deal would be in the offing by dealing with a Reagan Administration.
Ditto with regard to Nixon's team: "newfound cache of notes left by H. R. Haldeman, his closest aide, shows that Nixon directed his campaign’s efforts to scuttle the peace talks, which he feared could give his opponent, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, an edge in the 1968 election.
On 10/31/1968 he ordered Haldeman to “monkey wrench” the initiative.- per the NY Times, Dec. 31, 2016.
Funny, that flirting with High Treason and causing untold unnecessary deaths of our own troops has always been a strategic Rubicon eagerly crossed by aspiring Republican Administrations! Looks no different here.
Trump is a Traitor. But, there's plenty to indicate that lots of high ranking Republicans, from Mitch McConnell on down, have been willing players.
2
Mike Pompeo's tongue-lashing of the Iranian regime for "widespread corruption at the citizen's expense," is not unconvincing, but, oh, how selective. Nothing like that has ever come from the Trump midnight twitter house about what might be called "the Mother of all Kleptocratic Regimes," Putin's Russia. Could Pompeo's selectivity be related to all of the signs of the shady involvement by Trump and co. with corrupt Kremlin oligarchs and their business shenanigans?
This is North Korea all over again. The NK “negotiations” (which didn’t produce a single tangible win) were a distraction from increasing evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian agents. Now we have 12 more indicted Russian agents, Maria Butina in jail awaiting charges, the DOJ released the Carter Page documents, and Paul Manafort’s trial begins today. Remember, it was Trump who ended the Iran nuke deal, so he’s complaining about what exactly? Nothing. This is an ALL CAPS distraction.
Iran has been a malign party in the region since its Islamic revolution. But it's far from alone in refusing to peacefully share the neighborhood. Currently, Saudi Arabia and Israel are newly ascendant bullies intent on dragging the US into hostilities. Instead of being a somewhat honest broker, our role has morphed into a proxy for our own religious extremists intent on hastening the biblical apocalypse and second coming of Christ.
Enter Donald Trump, the most ignorant, incompetent, and self interested president in at least a hundred years. Top of mind are the actions most likely to enrich him or to protect him politically. Consideration of long term consequences don't extend beyond the midterms and then likely impeachment hearings. Deaths by the hundreds of thousands or even millions are of no more concern that they were to the Neocons ahead of the useless Iraq war.
Trump has a foreign policy playbook of stoking fears or expectations, holding a fake summit of no substance, and then declaring victory after a photo op. The Middle East is a different beast with far higher stakes for more countries and more people. So of course Trump will do what's best for him with cheerleading from Pence, Pompeo and Bolton.
I have zero confidence Trump won't accede to murderous tribalism if it's politically expedient. And that could easily be to our great military, financial, and humanitarian disinterest.
2
The Advice from D Trump is “Be Cautious”
Though generally known for being tortious
In conduct with Persia
He battles inertia -
I feel apprehensive and nauseous
How far have we fallen? What must signal that we have hit bottom? The president of the strongest country in the world, and once the brightest beacon of light for freedom and civilization, makes foreign policy in the throes of his early morning dyspepsia and paranoia, and he does it on the toy of twitter?
Endless threatening tweets from a unstable President.
Trump's trade war increases business for Putin. China is now buying corn, soy, and pork from Russia instead of the United States.
Trump takes wrecking ball to Europe and U.S. business ties established with Iran after treaty was signed - treaty Trump earlier destroyed. Now he puts obliterates any US/European business ties with Iran and who steps in? Putin steps in and establishes the business ties Trump just obliterated.
So can anyone in the GOP congress explain to us just HOW this benefits OUR country. Your routinely backpedalling for this compromised lunatic sitting in the oval office will be a real peach of an excuse, I'm sure.
Which reminds me: IMPEACH.
It also reminds me to get out the vote. To this GOP congress. When even George Will is voting against you, YOU yourselves have also overstayed your welcome.
"In the president’s mind, these threats ... " It is unacceptable for the sole source of decision making regarding threats of military action to be the fevered mind and itchy twitter fingers of Mr. Trump.
What pathetic man. His threats aspire to, but don't quite reach, the level of a third grade bully. Again we are embarrassed by the petulant child in the White House.
4
So, Iran will be the whipping boy of this week.
The playbook is getting very predictable. Trash them on Twitter, scare the population of both countries into thinking Armageddon is on the horizon, then ride in like some preening white knight, to organize a summit at which the Ayatollah will become his new best friend.
Next months enemy du jour will be who?
7
Oh for Pete's sake, he's just trying to change the narrative away from the Helsinki summit. And the mainstream media (not so much NYT) bites hook, line, and sinker.
5
Please, remove this fool from the White House, by any and every possible legal means, before he kills us all.
10
Twitter allows this Mad Man to threaten to murder hundreds of thousands of people. It is pathetic and insane. They have no decency.
8
Another failed attempt to deflect attention from the criminal-in-chief. Blame China, Iran, North Korea......This President (with the encouragement and support of GOP leadership) will do or say anything to distract the American public from the unbelievable incompetence, proud ignorance, and sheer insanity in every action and word from the White House.
8
No one from my family will be going to Iran to die for nothing.
11
trump is mentally ill and very dangerous. Kim and Putin easily played him like a cheap violin. I highly doubt Iran is interested in those kinds of silly games. There's an old saying....Idle hands are the devils workshop. trump has nothing to do befitting his own sense of grand importance. He will start trouble because a bully needs someone to bully.
11
Someday, sociologists may be able to explain why so many people like the president using extreme bellicose language even when it is not followed up by any action. If a friend constantly said things like, "If that guy does x one more time, I'm going to kick his butt," but never does anything, he would eventually be a laughing stock. Why Trump's base likes Trump acting that way is mystifying.
4
Does #45's threat translate into more destruction than 6,000,000 Jews being slaughtered by Hitler or dropping the atomic bomb over Japan?
Senate & House, please stand by for your command from the WH.
Or,
begin the impeachment process today.
I forgot, the elected Republicans are gutless and spineless and have no idea how to challenge a bully.
4
How frustrating. As with anything else Trump does, this stupid bellicose nonsense is mere BS by the clown in chief tweeting while sitting on the pot in the WH. It has NO objective endgame. All of those who feel "good" because of the "tough" rhetoric should know that this approach only reinforces the hand of the hardliners in Iran's internal politics, to the detriment of the people. This is why Rouhani is compelled to sound tough. It is meant for internal consumption. The regime in Tehran has perpetrated atrocious crimes against its people. I know, because I lived through some of it. But, any change will only come from within and must achieve critical mass among the population. No way will forced regime change occur in Iran. Most Iranians will rally against any foreign intervention. Foreign intervention in Iranian affairs is what brought us to this place. The unfortunate change in US policy towards Iran really only stems from Trump's will to undo any good President Obama achieved. It does not help the cause in Iran. Very unfortunate, because it will allow the regime to resist change for yet another generation. Meanwhile Trump distracts from his real treachery of being Putin's poodle.
4
The Con Don is using hitler/mafia tactics. Cause disruption somewhere to keep the media talking about anything but your corruption and desire to destroy - everything and everyone who stands in the way of your demented, insatiable greed.
Attention media talking heads: Do not listen to him. Do not pounce on every tweet and talk about it ad nauseum.
He cannot be ignored because he and his Robber Baron brethren are trying to destroy the world. However, the press can focus on the operatives - Steve Bannon and friends - behind attacks like the one in Toronto yesterday meant to cause fear in average people.
Do NOT be afraid. The Robber Barons think Good, Smart People will be intimidated and silenced with their fear-anger-hate-death-destruction-Lies,Lies,Lies-WAR agenda.
Listen up, International Mafia Robber Barons - WE THE PEOPLE ARE NOT AFRAID. WE will stop you in every way. WE will save/preserve/restore true democracy in OUR United States of America - and around the world - before you can destroy it.
10
So enjoyable to read the reactions to this story - thank you commenters and keep the sky falling!
2
True. At this point it is best to ignore this idiot and just go on with our lives and vote.
1
Mr. President, sir, SHUT THE HELL UP!
Thank you
45
Mr. President? Sir?
The Con Don deserves no such credit.
2
@stu freeman
Thank YOU!
2
@stu freeman
I don't tweet, but I hope every reader who does sends Trump exactly this message.
2
This isn’t the first or last time America has meddled into other countries politics. This can be a very dangerous game depending on the mood and leadership of the party in control. Most past presidents in the US have had advisors that they relied on for expert advice on “when to hold them, and when to fold them.” Not so with our current president. His Tweets could start a war that no one wants or needs.
8
By pulling out of the Iran deal, they've basically left the only viable option to deal with Iran as war. The rest of the world isn't going to go along with sanctions since the United States is an untrustworthy ally at this point.
The Iran deal was the most comprehensive and intrusive inspection regime in history. Sure, it wasn't perfect, it had a 10 years sunset clause. But by pulling out of it, that 10 year moratorium dropped to 0.
The Iranian people are more pro-American than many populations in the Middle East. It's also young with the majority of Iranians born AFTER the Iranian revolution. The next generation of leadership should be more moderate and the trend towards moderation should continue. It won't become an American ally or some Jeffersonian democracy; but Iran could become a more neutral actor that isn't openly hostile to the West. The 10 years in the Iran deal was meant to hopefully buy time to allow moderates to make gains in the Iranian government and institutions.
Attacking Iran would create another generation or two of Iranians hostile to the United States. We'll be fighting some proxy war against Iranian backed groups all over the middle east and perhaps the world. US foreign policy in the middle east has been a complete disaster over the past 18 years. We "solved" the Saddam issue but then created a power vacuum that Iran filled. Going to war with Iran is just another mistake.
19
Have we all become so numb to trump's rantings that such things are now just considered the norm? This is NOT normal behavior for any world leader, let alone the president of the United States of America.
This is the unhinged fury of a caged animal. This is how slighted, angry children strike out at one another on the playground. And, most dire, his is the language of an adult who is in a severe mental health crisis.
Where is the Cabinet, when it should be protecting US citizens and, frankly, the world at large?
Where is the Congress, when it also has the power to stop a critically mentally unstable man who somehow holds the most powerful political office in the world?
Wake up! This is NOT normal, and in the worst possible way.
5
I'm going to go get a counseling degree and set up a practice specializing in the trauma of the Trump presidency and its aftermath. I think I will be very successful.
10
Anything to distract from Trump's very public debasement at the Helsinki Summit. This is a long-established pattern with Trump - commit some idiotic blunder, and then blast out an outrageous tweet to change the narrative. I've already heard news personalities dissecting this latest tweet, as if there were some meaningful substance to divine. He has a rough week ahead, what with the start of Manafort's trial on Wednesday, and the authorities going through Michael Cohen's recorded conversations.
13
This is the distraction the likes of which few have ever suffered.
He is an international joke. A paper tiger. Does anyone put one iota of credibility into anything he tweets? God, how long must we endure this nightmare?
33
I feel that i am living in a perpetual loop of Dr. Strangelove.
12
The bellicose, pugnacious Trump will not be happy until he plunges the United States into a bloody, protracted war. Whether it's North Korea or Iran, Trump is salivating over the prospect of annihilating an adversary, real or imagined. The man-child loves big, noisy machines that do damage, so war is something he is more than happy to propagate. Lucky us.
22
In a couple more weeks they'll be shaking hands in solidarity with North Korea and Russia.
1
Donald Trump grew up in the era of The Howdy Doody show in the early days of television. One of the characters was named Mr. Bluster. It seems to have made a lasting impression.
11
Dear Donald,
You have absolutely no skin in the game. As such, you're rhetoric shows that you're nothing but a coward with an alligator mouth and a hummingbird brain (No offense to hummingbirds)
You may technically represent the "country" called America, but you clearly don't represent "people" who make this country what it is. There's a huge difference.
Gallup Polls consistently show that Independents represent the largest segment of American voters. The most recent poll had it Republicans = 27%, Democrats = 29% and Independents = 43%. The archetype Republicans and archetype Democrats are in the minority and don't represent the people as a whole.
Now more than ever, we need to elect Presidents who are willing to compromise and represent "All Americans".
1
Hey. Aren't there things like diplomatic channels anymore? It took long hard years of trial and error for nation states to figure out a way of talking to each other. Protocols were established to decrease the possibility of misunderstanding. A neutral common language was used to bypass cultural differences.
And now all that is thrown out the window because some idiot can tap out messages on a smart phone?
7
“Fire and fury.....blah, blah, blah!” Next thing you know Trump’ll be calling the Iranian leadership “great guys” if they offer him a hotel deal. The real question is whether the American people will tolerate yet another falsely conceived shooting war of imperialism. If so, them no one should complain about Trump. He’d be speaking and acting for us all. Besides, we need the lower oil prices for that extra summer vacation mileage. Right?
2
Austin, we Americans should be alarmed by Trump's latest nihilistic threats against Iran's mullahs because we know what happened with his threats to North Korea last summer.
Just like with North Korea, Trump,the snake oil salesman, will offer to meet Ayatollah, Rouhani and all other mullahs of Iran in Singapore within 28 days of this rhetoric and simply say this to the Persian leaders he warned through his twitter account at 3 o'clock in the morning," Listen, since your Shah was my friend, you can forget about my threats on the twitter as I was having a heartburn from last night's dinner. Now, just tell me how many acres of land I can get from you for free in your coastlines where I can build my famous Trump International Hotel, my 18 holes Trump golf courses and resorts and casinos."
We can bet all our money with our illegitimate president's followup answer,"Just give me 100 acres of your land just like what Kim gave me in NK"
And with the next sentence Trump will finish the meeting saying "Do we have a deal or not ? You know I'm a businessman first, then the president. And if you care to read my famous book "Art of the Deal" which I wrote all by myself, you'll realize that I do not make any deal with anyone where I might lose. So let me tell you my Mullahs, you can keep your nukes or expand your arsenal, I don't care. Just give me my share of the deal : Give me just 100 acres of your Persian land and I promise I'l leave you alone in my 6 more years of presidency.
Got IT ?"
2
Folks, we all know this man is severely mentally disturbed and the GOP will go along with crazy as long as party comes first. His family on the other hand, are doing a great injustice to this man by not having him hospitalized in a mental institution. He clearly need psychiatric help.
We must amend the laws and require that anyone seeking the Presidency must undergo a very thorough and complete psychiatric screening and evaluation of his mental health by a panel of leading mental health experts. This is beyond ludicrous that we require this of law enforcement and others, but not for the job of President. Just ludicrous that a Charles Manson is just as qualified as Trump is to become President.
6
Time to invoke Article 25 of the U.S. Constitution.
35
Trump does not even understand that being president comes with lots of responsibility, neither do the people in his administration. The WH has become an insane asylum, the government is nothing but a sade and dangerous joke.
The nation needs a day of prayer to beg the Lord to protect us and the world from the Trump disaster.
4
Praying ain’t gonna help.
VOTE!
4
I love that the NY Times did not make this a major story. The man is craving any distraction possible in order to not make the Russian collusion a real thing. He made his true feelings known at Helsinki.
11
So, Trump says this: "WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH"
The man who took the demented-words-of-violence-&-death genre to a whole new level. Oh, the irony.
20
Well since the party of death intends to annihilate the US anyway by refusing to deal with the very very obvious climate change, by polluting and poisoning it thoroughly and killing off all wildlife - not to mention that it doesn't want any of us to be able to get medical care anyway, what's the difference if it pulls out the nukes now too. Suffer slow hot miserable death, or suffer short hot miserable death. Choose our poison - either way - death and miserable death at that is and has been their only agenda.
26
Let's see ... Trump unilaterally withdraws from the Iran nuclear agreement whereas all US and US allies' inspectors on the ground have shown that it is fully complying with the agreement, in other words no longer making nuclear weapons, for the first time in decades ... and Iran answers by saying, in a speech to its own citizens, that if the US harms Iran (which it is already doing, as it imposed additional sanctions for no reason whatsoever) it will fight back ... and then Trump believes he has to... tweeeet... ?!?
Did the US ever have a more ignorant, childish president ... ?
He crawls in front of US enemy Putin, asks nothing from North Korea except for a nice photo-op and then declares the country no longer a threat, and then takes US inspectors OUT of Iran after a previous administration finally managed to get them IN, a move followed by ... tweet-tweet-tweet ... ?!
PLEASE Democrats and Independents, yes debating the question whether the most realistic path forward is through center-left or progressive campaigns is interesting and important, but totally irrelevant now that a madman is leading the biggest military in the world and his own party already became totally incompetent, corrupt and powerless under Obama. So debating is fine, but when it comes to fighting, THIS is the fight of our generation. Time is up, there's no space for making mistakes anymore. Now all decent citizens, conservatives and progressives alike, have to stand up and unite, and vote the GOP out.
9
@Ana Luisa Yup, and Trump's only plan B is war or at least the threat of war. War is good for the companies and corporations that back Trump and his allies in Congress. War isn't good for those whom have to send their kids and loved ones to fight for a deranged madman named Trump.
1
Looking forward to the day when a grown up once again occupies the White House.
33
Could someone explain why Democrats posting here are upset that Trump is too tough on Iran and risks war, but they are also upset that Trump is too soft on Russia, therefore not risking war?
I read these comments to get a chuckle.
1
Trump is cornered. He has few survival options. Dragging America into war is one of them. Wake up America.
7
@Shell W.
That's exactly where we're at. This current bellicose threat is not a "deflection", it's a desperate Hail Mary. Trump is determined that if he is going down, we're all going with him.
OMG..... Trump has lost it.
America will pay the price. Will Congress ever show up with checks and balances?
6
@Warren 'Checks and Balances' among the GOP led congress checked out all together by remaining silent, retiring from office, or not seeking reelection.
1
Trump is extremely weak. Trump completely submissive to Putin. N Korea duped him; builds Nukes and got rid of war games. Iran sets Trump into explosive rage with one speech. Trump attacks our allies. Trump is pushing the World to major wars. Vote out GOP to save America.
23
Our CIA was involved in the 1953 coup against the democratically-elected Mosaddeq which ushered the corrupt and ruthless Reza Pahlevi. Our government provided Saddam Hussein (yes, that one) with weaponry, support, materiel and surveillance during the Iran-Iraq war…and naturally, we have the Iran-Contra affair of the 1980s…and lest we forget; we also have the downing of an Iranian civilian flight by the USS Vincennes (after blaming a Palestinian group, we were forced to admit it...and finally had to pay $60 million as compensation but no apologies).
We sweep all this history under the carpet. They don’t.
24
I beat he won't say it to his face! Anyone can say anything behind a keyboard, but let's see you say that to his face.
1
This is actually Trump’s awkward way of
courtship. They’ll be bff’s in a few weeks and meeting behind closed doors soon after that.
Another bromance in the making. I’m getting tingly just thinking about it.
2
He thinks we don’t 'get it'.
- Pick a fight with a Muslim country to start a preliminary war (must first find a country that will actually engage)
- Make sure there is a major traumatic event, like 9/11, by October
- Start a real war
- Suspend mid-term elections due to ‘security issues’
- Expand the Patriot Act to cover any ‘acts of sedition’ and get the new Supreme Court to protect it
- Empower ICE as the Federal internal enforcement agency of ‘unpatriotic activity’
- Poof – all problems disappear!
Maybe he really doesn't care whether we 'get it' or not because it doesn't matter - he knows he can get away with anything because . . . he does.
19
Typical Trump ploy - change the focus of news from a "bad" story, Putin, to another one to get the media exercised about something else. If you can't win against a playground bully like Putin, pick out someone smaller than you to bully. The man is soooo predictable.
3
Nothing new here...
Its tried old anti democratic policy of empowering minority over majority to suit US interests which is the colonization of current times.
In Palestine it means grabbing land from natives and empowering alleged "Gods selected" immigrants to occupy.
Similarly in Iran it means exploiting the views of micro minority of Iranian dissidents (including terrorist organizations like Mujahiden Khalq which have history of bombings and assassinations) and using it to invade yet another country.
Seems like 30 years of failed attempts at sabotaging and undermining will of Iranian people and multiple catastrophic gulf wars ending in killing of millions of Iraqis and Iranians has taught American Policy makers nothing.
Its just greed or war against democracy whatever you call it .. plain and simple. They cant fool educated people.
3
Trump is the perfect example of how I remember bullies at school! The only time they cowered was when you stood up to them. That shut them up!
The coming war with Iran has been in the planning stages for a little while now. Trump wants it; Netanyahu wants it; the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (MbS) wants it; and Trump is probably conspiring to bring Putin into the coming conflict too.
This president's tweets are childish. To foreigners, it looks as if America is being led by someone half-demented. The US is losing a lot of standing in the world as a result of Trump's behaviour. As for MAGA, forget it! America's reputation will be in tatters by the time Trump leaves the White House.
As for Pompeo, what he said about the very rich leaders of Iran, enriching themselves at the expense of the Iranian people, mirrored what this administration is doing to Americans: enriching itself at the expense of the American people – the Trump family, their henchmen, and the 1% are all benefitting. Ordinary folk don't matter in their eyes. Trump has turned America into a plutocracy. Pompeo has his nerve to talk about the Iranian leaders. He is the hypocrite par excellence!
15
Don't worry, the Iranians will give Trump some trinkets to hang in his office, and Trump will proclaim the Iranians as his best friends ever. Wait and see.
3
@Sparky Trump might have a dinner party where he invites Putin, Iran, N Korea over for dinner.
2
Never going to happen. The GOP needs to keep people afraid and distracted.....with enemies to justify more military spending, which in turn puts more money in the pockets of the corporations that support them. Its just one big circle of greed!
“War is a racket.”
$$$$$$$$$$$$
1
Contradictory, again. One minute, the effort is to reach out to the Iranian people by calling for them to oppose the mullahs, the next minute there is a foolish statement that only makes the people unite with the mullahs. Typical Trump.
3
Can someone please monitor our President at all times? Or take his phone at bedtime? It's too dangerous to leave him alone with his phone in the middle of the night.
19
If Iran wants to be taken seriously by the Trump misadminstration, they have but on option...
They must immediately and without hestitation open a Trump Tower Theran.
Anything less would be a direct challenge to the power of the United States of America and will end in the gravest possible conséquences.
4
At the end of the day Trump is just a paper tiger. He can spout and fume on Twitter, from the comfort of his bedroom, but at the end of rhe day it's just more hot air...Maybe we should put a tariff on the export of hot air...
6
"NEVER EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKE OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE." And then from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, "if anybody’s inciting anything, look no further than to Iran."
This is the mark of a pathetically weak excuse for a dead-end administration. The White House explanation for the president's all-caps rant is like dropping a nuclear weapon on a children's playground, and then blaming the rambunctious kids for their own demise.
The DPRK's Kim Jong-un knows how seriously to take this empty presidential bluster.
7
Every time Trump threatens nuclear war, and then kowtows before an existing nuclear power, he increases the appetite of developing nations to acquire a nuclear deterrent.
The only plausible argument for nuclear disarmament is one grounded in an ethos of peaceful coexistence and systematic, peaceful resolution of grievances.
The Iran deal was a demonstration of application of this process.
3
Bob Mueller. Michael Cohen.
Of course Trump is ranting about Iran. Available distractions are becoming fewer and fewer.
6
an unhinged tyrant tries to change the conversation and distract
worked before
+ he looks like a strong daddy - which the gop base loves and craves
10
All the Mullahs need do is check with Kim to learn if Trump means business when he lobs his deep-chested bellowing warnings.
2
Relax! The person who takes least seriously the words emanating from that great black hole of Trump's mouth is Trump himself. Words for Trump are mere farts, designed more to make an obnoxious impression than to signify any real meaning, all of which can be reversed with a subsequent "not" if he is made to feel such. Our problem is that both are combustible.
7
If I could post an editorial cartoon here, it would be Robert Mueller riding up on a white horse, with a lasso raised above his head ready to be tossed around a running, sweating, hair-tousled Donald Trump. Trump would be pointing towards a map of Iran shouting, "look over there! look over there!"
5
@Mr. Mark
Very good! Send your idea to the New Yorker.
This is deflection. Please don't fall for it.
9
Something tells me that Rouhani is probably about as impressed with the Trump histronics as Putin and Kim are. Trump is a big mouth paper tiger and is making the U. S. appear weak, disorganized and ustable.
7
For a "stable genius" Trump is pretty unstable and stupid. Also an aggressive bully, a bad combination. He shows every sign of getting us into a war and/or an economic depression, also a bad combination.
5
The movie lady Susan Sarandon said she did not support Hillary Clinton because she would start a war. Hey Susan, are you listening to what Trump is saying with regards to a war with Iran?
9
both are true. one of the two would / have succeeded.
@Vet
There were other very important issues such as the Supreme Court and other Federal Courts throughout the country that would dismantle all the good things Moderate Democrats did for decades.
Nuclear wastelands do tend to be quiet places. Why would that be considered better than what we have today? Demented!
I don’t see the Iranian president’s words as anything other than status quo. Regardless, even if there were a newfound threat, Trump’s first inclination is to tweet yell? So pathetic.
4
Iran is simply following North Korea's playbook to get Trump to negotiate with them.
1
instead of a tweet, wouldn't it be more threatening for him to cut the letters out of a magazine, glue them to a sheet of paper and mail them to President Rouhani - without a return address?
10
A war with Iran is the best way to get the NeverTrumper neocons back in the fold.
Heck, it might even resuscitate McCain who has been pining for that war, for decades.
All we need now is for our “intelligence agencies,” (who we must now trust, unquestioningly,) to find some evidence of WMDs in Iran.
1
American president threatening world leaders on Twitter. What is all this nonsense...a middle-school playground?
7
Here is a draft dodger talking about " the mother of all wars ". A guy who has probably never first hand experienced violence, who says he would run towards a school shooting without a gun to save children ............. it is just a side show but shows the pathetic and distorted mindset,
15
Pure frightening madness:
The leaders of Iran, a small bellicose theocratic dictatorship, once the Persian Empire, now fallen on hard times, probably possessing the power to dump radioactive poison on South California, perhaps a half-dozen small nukes makes a statement any sovereign government -even Andorra might make:
‘If you attack us, we’re gonna fight back.”
‘THREATEN MOI, L’ETAT (not fight,? Just SAY the wrong thing, and I’ll send in everything we’ve got to flatten you!’
Where is this madman from? Did he get his entire diplomatic training from some New York street gang?
I hope that the leaders of our armed forces, nuclear launch forces and even individual soldiers remember the penalty for obeying an illegal order, including the orders from President Jack Ripper.
4
@Eatoin Shrdlu
I wouldnt consider a country that is larger than Alaska with 81 million people 'small'..
@Eatoin Shrdlu You sorely underestimate the global reach of Iran. The turbaned clerics need to be stuffed back into their box.
@Eatoin Shrdlu, Trump is still the same spoiled barracks brat he became when his daddy sent him to a military style reform school with a fat bankroll.
This hateful tweet is further evidence that Dr. Ronny Jackson should be charged with willful conspiracy against the United States for his coverup of Trump’s obvious mental illness.
9
Seriously? After all the fulminating against Kim Jong Un.
Talk is cheap, particularly from an equivocating draft-dodger.
5
How convenient: a week after looking like the weakest President in American history, while bowing to Putin, he now wants to look like he’s a tough guy. This guy is pathetic. Truly pathetic.
17
Why Iranians cannot trust Americans: Did you know that in the mid 1950's Iran formed a democratic government and they looked very similar in dress to the rest of the industrialized nations in the world at that time? Do you want to know what happened? I assume you do so here is what happens when money drives a nation. When their new government came into power they felt that it was only fair that the British oil magnets in their nation share to the same degree their profits made from Iranian oil to the same degree that these oil magnets shared profits with the other oil nations in that part of the world at that time, nations like Saudi Arabia. They wanted the same 50/50 split in profits. The American CIA was in cahoots with the British security people who in turn wanted to protect their friends in the industry. The CIA worked to oust this new democratic system and to put into place someone who would work with the money interests at that time and that was where the Shah of Iran came in and you know the rest from that point.
6
@David Gage
Yet there are close to 1 million who have relatives who live and work in the USA.
So much for "trust."
The Elephant in the Room, and it is no pun, is that our President behaves like a mentally ill person. If he walks like one, talks like one, tweets like one, why is it left out of the dialogue when we discuss his daily antics?
Because the truth is too painful for some (they voted for him) an for other too scary (because they are watching Congress do nothing about it).
Would you let this man babysit your children or grandchildren (less your 15 years old daughter)? Then why is he driving this massive bus that we are all sitting in as we negotiate hairpin turns with 1,000 foot drop offs?
How do you think Trump is going to react when Cohen reveals tapes of conversations that Trump doesn't even remember? Folks, it is time for all the enablers to get out of the way and for the 25th Amendment to be considered. The problem with that is that it can go nowhere without VP Pence being on board. So we watch this slow motion train wreck (bus wreck) of a once powerful and internationally respected nation. Many can guess where this is going. Or does it have to be spelled in caps? Like: OFF THE CLIFF!
6
Pompeo condemns Iran for anti-West rhetoric but is blind to his boss destroying the West in favor of Russia.
There is no longer a USA/West thing. The USA is advocating diametrically opposed values to those of the West. It is a USA/Russia thing. To be sanctified in Washington later in the year.
4
So will the next war be announced on Twitter before the Joint Chiefs of Staff are notified, just like the suspension of military exercises with South Korea?
Tweet in haste - repent, regret, and recant at leisure. We now have fingertip diplomacy or the lack thereof.
The Republicans have long itched for a war with Iran, looks as though another wish on their list is about to be fulfilled.
4
Well, the same threat to N. Korea seems to have worked well; trump's own staff are acknowledging frustration and the absence of anything that appears like progress. Someone needs to tell trump that bloviated rhetoric without substance wears thin quickly.
4
The more Trump is lashing out against everyone, the less of a threat he is. Pretty much everyone knows by now that the US is isolated and nobody would help us if he starts another war.
Be assured, the Iranians are sleeping well. They have less to worry now than they had under Obama.
They only need to look as far as North Korea to see how much of a paper tiger Trump is. In fact, he is giving paper tigers a bad name.
6
We've found out how accurate that Trump baby balloon in London was. Trump isn't even up to the stage of maturity when parents teach children that "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." He's just a big baby who thinks the whole world revolves around him and must be constantly at the center of attention. Unfortunately for us, true babies can't start nuclear wars while our country's baby in chief can.
And obviously his education also overlooked Theodore Roosevelt's famous dictum "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
4
Get ready for Gulf War III, Operation Deflect From Mueller. Last time I checked our Administration had people like Chao, Gingrich, Bolton, and even Giuliani dealing with the MEK as if it was a legitimate alternative to the current Iranian regime, a sort of government-in-exile. As far as anyone can tell their support in Iran is minimal...so what gives other than another "sweets and flowers" moment?
1
I go to bed every night grateful that the genius in the White House is such a stabilizing force both in this country and around the world. He and he alone without any advisors will guide us to nowhere or to worse.
5
If Saudi Arabia will back the US this might be the right approach.
1
As a matter of urgency Congress must revoke any powers "delegated" to the President to launch military operations without specific Congressional approval.
1
This is just another episode in Trump's pattern of creating a distraction in hopes we will forget his offensive behavior in the previous news cycle. He took Iran's bait, bigly, and tried to work it in his favor. Let's not fall for it.
5
Would someone please take away his Twitter account. Diplomacy should not be done in 144 characters or less. IN ALL CAPS NO LESS.
6
While the precise threat Mr. Trump is telegraphing is unclear, the fact of the matter is that for decades the USG has allowed Iranian rhetoric to go unchallenged. Iran is a paper tiger, their leaders are turbaned cowards who have no compunction about living high on the hog while the Iranian populations suffers economically. The clerical clique in Tehran needs to be knocked down a few pegs, and Mr. Trump's rhetorical blast is a very good start.
The US has absolutely nothing to fear. Iran is utterly inept militarily, no match for the power of the United States. The Iranian military does not even know how to deploy its weapons systems in Syria without getting them blown up by the Israelis before the systems themselves are even removed from their crates.
Let's not get too worried about enabling "hardliners" in Tehran. The policies of successive Iranian regimes are more or less the same -- destabilization of the region, support for terrorism, and the projection of power in the Levant and Africa via the terror group Hezbollah.
This article overthinks it, like much of the mainstream media coverage of Trump.
Iran is an especially big, important country with a big military. Their combative leader made threats, and Trump responded. End of story.
Iran isn't really a meek lamb. They do a lot of aggressive things beyond their borders.
It's funny that mainstream media characterizes everything Trump does internationally as like a school bully picking on a weak kid for his lunch money. To think that Iran even has credible nuclear ambitions, to the point that there had had to be a big international agreement over it, and yet this is still the treatment the NYT gives the story-- that there's some kind of secret and nonproportional agenda to be imparted to Trump's / the USA's move.
1
This is not the Obama-Appeasement as Usual regime.
EU and NK have gotten the email. Iran had better reread thers.
If I were you, I’d be mindful of my use of the term “appeasement” in light of your hero’s performance in Helsinki over a week ago.
10
Did Russia get theirs? Oh wait, I guess that email wasn’t sent.
2
@Upside
This is much more like Neville Chamberlain Appeasement. Our latter day Neville got scammed in NK, and bowed down to his Lord and Master in Helsinki.
Given that Trump pivoted from threatening North Korea with "fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen" to meeting Kim and admiring him "because people pay attention to him" (the loftiest position narcissistic dictators like the two of them can attain) one can hope this situation diffuses, too.
1
As usual, Trump is just looking for a subject where he thinks he can appear strong. They didn't threaten us but Trump wants to blow it up to something useful politically. Iran has moderates but Bone Spurs is alienating them unnecessarily.
Another play to his base which he refers to as low information voters.
5
Trump is threatening the entire country of Iran, not the leadership, thus strengthening their hand, making his rant totally counterproductive. Even worse, after having made similar threats
against North Korea he met with Kim Jong Un and called him a great leader admired by his people. Then, what is the value of his word?
But if Trump is so furious against those who make threats against the US, why is he not even more furious against those who actually attack us, undermine our institutions, disseminate disinformation and send spies to penetrate organizations with access to power?
And I cannot avoid thinking that all of this hatred would turn to love and praise if the Ayatollahs gave him or his family some financial incentives. I try to say to myself that would be impossible but reason tells me that a man who has given ample evidence of not having any honor, or principles or love and respect for his own country is vulnerable to bribery.
2
I don’t like the approach Mr. Trump takes with the use of Tweets under any circumstances.
However, we have for almost 40 years been listening to threats from Iran and I for one am woefully tired of this drivel. The Iranian government isviewed as a threat by most of our allies in the region.
We need to take and maintain a very strong position but with less loose talk.
He’s clearly lost his mind. But then nothing is clear to his adherents. I really don’t know how many there are. The media doesn’t say. Percentages, as we saw in 2016, don’t mean a thing.
2
@joymars, after the hostages, all the shouts of death to America and funding every terrorist group in the region, and working non-stop to nuke Israel, sanity is to merely offer Iran a pacifier and burp them? Time to start treating them like the grownup bully that they are.
@John Doe
The CIA overthrew Iran's duly elected government in the 1950s and installed a puppet dictator, the Shah. All to protect US control over Iran's oil.
Who's the bully here?
Don't be fooled, this is classic Trump. He got completely out-maneuvered and embarrassed by Putin and now he needs to distract everyone with a show of strong leadership ability by threatening and bullying Iran. He will probably cook up some other incidents before November in order to further distract those Republicans who have been turned off by Trump's utter failure as a statesman.
4
Dire consequences? Fire and Fury? All that came of the North Korea bluster was the US capitulating and unilaterally suspending military exercises on the Korean peninsula. What will we give away to Iran?
2
"Trump Threatens Iran on Twitter, Warning Rouhani of Dire "Consequences" discusses the conflict surrounding the United States and Iran following a speech given by Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, which highlighted that a war between the two nations would be "the mother of all wars". President Donald Trump said tremendous consequences would follow for the nation if further comments were made.
I found this article interesting because of the possible outcomes of one tweet. Trump used this same strategy while talking to North Korea. For the six months prior to Trump's meeting with North Korean president Kim Jong-Un, tons of speculations directed towards a war between the U.S. and North Korea had developed. Now, the nations are now in cahoots with a statement surrounding stable peace for years to come. The tweet has gained worldwide recognition, but if there's anything the United States has learned in it's history with other nations, it's that actions speak louder than words.
I personally believe the same will occur with Iran as a worst-case scenario. Trump and Rouhani can set up a meeting and hold further discussions on the next step towards placing their exchange to the side and moving on. Perhaps a potential peace agreement similar to one established between the United States and North Korea may be set up. Hopefully, all negative connotations perceived from the tweet are put to rest through some manner of discussion between the two nation's leaders.
Trump is using social media to alter the norms of diplomacy. His dealings with foreign states – with the exception of Israel, Russia and Saudi Arabia – have all been disastrous. He is distorting language – long designed to sooth tension and to reduce conflict between nations and peoples – by reducing it to bullyism and disdain.
The world is tempted not to take his threats too seriously, and to regard him as a passing blip. Unfortunately – as a US president – one can’t simply ignore his belligerence, which is a tragedy for most Americans. Fortunately the US no longer rules the world. It remains to be seen whether Trump could destroy the regime in Iran or change its policies in the Middle East. No doubt sanctions will almost certainly undermine Hassan Rouhani’s effort for moderation and reinforce uncompromising politics within Iran, urging more likely hardliners to build their nuclear bomb.
6
This story is yet another example of the international strategy of Trump: he has none. Russia and Iran have a long term relationship. They are on the same page in Syria and you can be sure that Russia has and will continue to provide materials etc. for Iranian nuclear technology. Russia is likewise very pleased with Iran's commercial, political and military incursions into Iraq, which continue unabated and about which the U.S. can do nothing about.
Trump is doing everything possible to make nice with Putin while threatening war against Iran. If it looks like Trump doesn't know which side he is on, it's because he doesn't favor anybody but his own self interests. He is on no one's side unless, of course, they have something on him and he has to be on that person/country's side.
4
I read that demented and violent tweet and my first thought is , 'Oh my God, we are really all going to die.' Ok, I get that feelings aren't facts, and I know...wait, what do I know? That we have a sane POTUS, a watchdog Senate, a fully staffed diplomatic corps, a Cabinet that...that...I don't know, what do they do? No, we don't have any of those things.
I may have to get a flip phone, no more instant intrusion of Trumpian crazy with my morning coffee. Has anyone noticed that Google can now use a 'Search' to show you headlines?
5
So, the Moron-in-Chief is foaming at the mouth again. Someone get Trump his rabies shots (though it's too late for that, I suppose). What is really striking about this idiot's latest Twitter tirade is that it warns Iran against "threatening" the US while ignoring that the US (and Israel) threaten Iran on a regular basis. I guess that being a mindless thug is a privilege reserved only for the US - like meddling in elections is something that the US can do with impunity but cannot ever be done to it (if you want to talk about the CIA and its various forms of meddling that have terrible results, Iran is "Exhibit A"). Rouhani has a point - Trump is enough of an imbecile to believe that he can attack Iran without consequences. Hopefully even he is conscious enough to understand, however, that if Iraq was a dismal failure for the US Iran would be infinitely worse.
4
Blatantly misleading headline since it was Rouhani who first threatened the United States. No wonder it's called FAKE news.
2
Read Trump’s tweet. Is that a threat or not? Be serious.
Message from Putin to Rouhani: hey go tweet something insidious. Our boy is being pummeled and we need to have him appear strong. Americans and their media are stupid and will rush to his support. Eyes on the prize. The long game. We will destroy America without needing a weapon.
Idiot Trump has said “Stop or else!” The world now wonders what the “else” is. A threat is a challenge. If I were Iran, I’d feel challenged to arrest an American or something. See what big bad Trump will do. When a lion stomps on a mouse, the whole world sympathizes with the mouse.
5
What a transparent and obvious distraction from all the other nonsense this unqualified man had generated vis a vis Russia, Korea, China, and Europe.
Please don't give this undue attention, NYT. You'd be falling for the feint.
4
Trump's behavior is reckless, irrational, and frightening. Angry outbursts like this can inadvertently cause wars - and a war with Iran (who is allied with Russia in Syria) could escalate to a nuclear holocaust.
5
This will play extremely well with his base of white evangelical men and women who prize manly testosterone filled wrath over reason on any topic.
Now he just needs to throw in some racism and gin up some Islamophobia to cover cover the disaster of a trip to Europe.
12
Hey everyone, look at the shiny object, and stop talking about all those pesky kids! At least this time, he actually sounded like he was on the side of the US, instead of committing treason!
Two pompous masters of bluster and bombast go at each other for the benefit of their rabidly fundamentalist followers. God/Allah help us.
4
I feel sort of sorry for Trump. Soon he's gonna run out of countries to play "Chicken" with. He so much reminds me of a gorilla who is playing at being King Kong and thumping his chest, except we are discovering that gorillas are kinda smart. Trouble is, we all have to live with the consequences of our stupid homo sapiens that in in the White House.
1
Funny how every time we make note of Trump’s quisling-like behavior towards Putin’s Russia, our swindler of a president trots out the rationale: Wouldn’t it be a good thing to get along with Russia? Well, shouldn’t the same rationale apply to Iran? Wouldn’t it be good to get along with Iran? The “cursed” Obama took a major leap in that direction. But then demonic Donny chomped at the bit until he got his way and scuttled that accord. Ditto Cuba. Obama employed some fresh thinking vis-a-vis the Castro regime. But then the one with the little hands did all he could to undo that diplomatic breakthrough. So, my question remains: What is our Dissembler-in-Chief’s real reason for sucking up to Putin? There must be more to it than wanting to get along with a long-time and continuing adversary. Because if that were the case, demented Donny should be attempting all in his power to build on the agreements Obama forged with Iran and Cuba and even our allies who had been frightened off by the behavior of Obama’s predecessor Boy George. The fact of the matter is that it is not in Trump’s character to attempt to play nice with others. He is essentially rapacious. His making nice to Putin screams one thing and one thing alone. The Benedict Arnold commander-in-chief is beholden to Putin. No two ways about it.
7
What did Trump expect would happen when he tore up the agreements the US and most of the rest of the world signed with Iran? That Iran will capitulate? That NATO will support him after the abusive way he’s been treating them?
The answer seems to be in the pattern Trump governs: make an inflammatory speech , wait for reaction, realize you screwed up, post incomprehensible tweets, change the subject.
The danger is that sooner or later this predictable chain of events could break and would cause unimaginable consequences.
4
He can breathe brimstone and fire at Iran but when it comes to Putin all we get is a warm embrace and kisses. Iran seen this movie before with N. Korea where he talks tough at the outset then folds easily like a rent a cop with out any real results show for it. N. Korea got a nice photo op at an international summit, got Trump to cancel military exercises on the Korean peninsula, and they still have their nukes. Iran has the leverage in this potential stand off. They can choke off the Arabian Gulf to send gas prices sky high like it was back in the 70s under Carter. And they can destabilize the region through proxies like Hamas to Hezbollah without committing their own ground forces. And with an American public already weary from fighting two wars for the past 17 plus years in Iraq[I served three combat tours over there] and Afghanistan. Finally, it will end with Trump holding another summit where he gives Iran everything they want while Trump looks weak on the world stage once again. Also this serves as a useful distraction from the bad week he had last week with Putin summit fallout.
1
Sad - but totally expected. Trump has sunk again to the levels of the other playground misfits. Congress must act now to remove his access to the nuclear football before he pokes somebody's eyes out (including our own).
1
UnlessI am missing something Rouhani is saying that if the USA attacks Iran, Iran will defend itself. I do not see a direct threat to the USA. Trumps imagine threats everywhere and all of the time but the greatest of actual threats all come from him and I do not go one day without thinking of his cruelty and GOP enabled abuses of power.
15
I fail to understand why the news media report tweets as news. A president who wants to make a statement should make it officially and out loud for all to hear. I, for one, am not on Twitter and cannot take seriously anyone’s personal fumings and ramblings. Is this any way to run a government?
6
Trump's ego is in search of another summit meeting. Create dire words of aggression then become THE man to stabilize the 'growing tensions' and announce victory. It's so easy!
Our stable genius President goes it alone on the world stage tweet by tweet. Pompeo is there for backup only. Trump wants center stage again.
Trump believes that he has single handedly tamed 2 nations now.
He thinks that the power of his personal chemistry is what gets things done. He is now roaming the earth in search of another lights, cameras, action moment. Seriously, he could care less about the details. He just needs more world wide attention to fill that massive malignant hole of ego of his.
6
Trump seems to want war. I feel helpless to do anything about it. I will continue to vote against all republicans.
9
Good God, my 13 year old son knows more about how to be responsible on social media than this guy! Someone needs to ground him from his phone.
That’s my first thought. My second is God help us, we are in trouble.
10
The history of U.S. / Iranian relations always gets short shrift. In the U.S. the story of current modern day relationship always starts from the point in time of the Iranian Revolution when the Ayatollahs replaced the Shah.
But in Iran the initial point of our strained relations was years earlier. In 1953. After WWII the Iranians considered the U.S. their biggest and best western ally. But then came 1953 and Operation Ajax. A CIA led coup where the U.S. overthrew Iran's democratically elected government. Replacing their democratically elected PM and government with the Shah.
The CIA then supported and helped the Shah and the U.S.'s authoritarian puppet went on to form the still-hated secret police force SAVAK - which imprisoned, tortured, and killed hundreds of thousands of Iranians.
In 1953 the U.S. snatched democratic rule from the Iranian people and we are still paying the price today.
Considering that Donald Trump is waging a "Blame America" campaign, he should be blaming President Eisenhower and the CIA for our bad relations with Iran. He should adopt the same posture he did with North Korea when he was fawning over Kim that the situation between the U.S. and North Korea was what he was handed to work with. So he couldn't blame Kim, he instead blamed former U.S. administrations.
3
The nuclear treaty enabled the United States and our alies to do two things: (1) Monitor Iran and keep nuclear proliferation at bay; and (2) the return of European and U.S. business to Iran.
So what would Putin have his puppet do? (1)) Tear up the treaty; and (2) abandon all business ties, impose sanctions, and act hostile towards Iran while getting these things done for Putin.
This way, Russia can strengthen THEIR business ties with Iran.
Now we know what Trump and Putin were talking about during their meeting.
3
Twitter would do the nation a great service by canceling trumpie's account for abusive and threatening language, or simply because it can. But no, it's about money and like republicans, they only care about that.
Perhaps a national outcry or petition to twitter could work?
An additional benefit would be trump's head would likely explode in frustration.
6
Like a spoiled, angry, tantruming child, each day President Trump lashes out at a world leader, a member of Congress, a former associate, a cabinet official, a social program, a race or religion, a country, the media...the list goes on.
And the more he fails to "win," the more frequent the tantrums, the more bold the lies and manipulations.
This is the reality of where we are right now. And indeed, the Emperor isn't wearing any clothes. He never was.
This is a projection of all of the dysfunction within our lives, our families, and our communities that we have been ignoring for the last 30 years.
This is our great American wake-up call; a frightening time, a powerful opportunity. I for one, believe we possess the courage and the will to change course, the only question is...will we?
7
Trump is indiscriminately lashing out in all directions, making America the pariah of the world. He is making even North Korea look like a stable rational country.
It should be clear to anyone by now that there is something missing in our Constitution when it allows someone who is so obviously mentally unhinged and emotionally troubled like Trump to continue to determine the fate of the entire country without anyone apparently being able to do anything about it.
We need a new constitutional amendment that puts clear limits on the power of the president before he goes off the rails. Having to rely on a cabinet of sycophants with similarly low skill levels to invoke the 25th amendment is clearly not cutting it.
We need stronger checks and balances. If we had had them, the Iraq invasion would never have happened and much of what Trump brought to power would not have happened as a consequence.
I wonder how Republicans (and the Democrats who cowed and approved the Iraq invasion) can even sleep at night knowing what they have brought upon us.
13
@Kara Ben Nemsi
To NYT: Kara Ben Nemsi brings up a fundamental issue that the US public needs to face and reflect on. This is the kind of comment that, in my view, deserves to be a "NYT Picks".
2
Utterly predictable. This is Trump's standard strategy:
1. Change the subject from previous failures by creating a new controversy with outrageous lies and half-truths
2. "Solve" the controversy by capitulating or simply declaring victory
3. Repeat
I'm betting that after a couple of weeks of intensifying threats, Trump and Iranian leaders will meet and become buddies. Hang in there Iran, soon you will join North Korea and Russia as America's newest friend.
2
Are we and the GOP, in particular, so inured to Trump’s daily rants and outrages, that major alarm bells are not going off? What does it say when the Commander in Chief is tweeting late night, unhinged threats of war in language and style reminiscent of an adolescent bully to another nation? Apart from the serious questions about his and his campaign’s relationship with Russia, Trump also appears to be deteriorating psychologically, thus putting our national security, not to mention that of the rest of the world, at enormous risk. Where is the patriotism of those in power who can contain the real threat he increasingly poses?
2
The last time I remember anybody predicting "The Mother of All Wars," it was Saddam Hussein. I always understood Saddam as predicting that the the 1991 Gulf War would trigger an extended period of war, not necessarily that it would dwarf World War II. If that's really what Saddam meant, history has vindicated his prediction. Now comes a new prediction of, "the mother of all wars," this time with Iran, with whom the U.S. has been at virtual war since 1979.
President Trump is a crisis-prone individual who has to carry out everyday tasks with a sense of drama; he loves living a state of high alert. Last week it was Russia; this week is Iran’s turn.
The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as the White House “cronies” should step up to the plate; disregard their fears and make President Trump stop his threats to Iran. The “Islamic” Republic of Iran is a very dangerous warrior that would declare war to America in second and without any hesitation.
Undoubtedly, we have a Commander in Chief with a psychological problem of greed, always craving for more. This is what we get for having elected a President who acts by impulse; doesn’t allow opinions; a know-it-all President with a sense of superiority. The American people deserve better.
1
Twitter has rules about posting threats, hateful comments, etc. Seems to me that threatening annihilation of a country or leader would fall in that category. His account should be banned.
7
Didn't Trump threaten North Korea that it would be severely punished?
1
Hmmm....screams a warning at Iran over threat to cut off an oil pipeline while defending a leader and country which actually did attack us. Imagine how Trump would respond if Iran threatened Russia. Btw, considering Trump's own commitment to tearing the US's democracy apart,his attacks on his own DOJ and intelligence community, his commitment to jailing a political opponent, and his defending a foreign adversary over his own country, I'm not sure Trump is the one to be blowing a gasket over threats against the US.
The GOP is probably thinking, "Whew. Thank god he distracted everyone from the Putin thing. A war is just the thing to ratchet up the nationalism and ensure his base doesn't notice how he's destroying the economy, getting rid of health insurance, welfare, jobs, truth, etc.."
5
Except for very few places on the planet, our nation is by far the most wonderful place to live and raise a family; not easy by any means for the poor and middle-class, still we all can try and try again, without fear of repression by rules bedded in insane religious beliefs designed to control, manipulate, and set our future.
All my life I stayed aware of all economic manipulations, all military conflicts, proxy, and direct, and all political shenanigans foisted on the 7 plus billion humans on our planet, simply so I could understand, and live within, the form of existence the self-appointed Masters of Mankind elected we exist in, in order to continue to provide them with the evergreen fulfilling life they sincerely believe is their right, and in some societies, their divine right, see the full documentary by Noam Chomsky -
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/...
Every one of us has to make a real effort to wake up, and understand, that unless one is part of the hierarchy, meaning living within the 10% enjoying the fruits supplied by the peasants, one is a peasant.
Understanding how the faux liberal policies of the last 60 years kept us in economic chains, the Trump regime is necessary as a tool to break the strangle-hold, if we can stop being stupid, and use the budding Democratic Socialist movement to upset the Masters applecart.
3
Trump continues daily to manifest the traits of ignorance, incompetence, and criminality, to use his his simple minded and overworked phrase, "the likes of which the world has never seen."
1
Seems our vocabulary-less leader has been using "the likes of which" since the conversations about North Korea. What new phrase will he learn next and use over and over?
1
I think we should take away that (metaphorical) giant nuclear war button the President says he has on his desk and encourage him to punish other countries with the trade wars that he still believes are good and easy for us to win.
the President of the United States has the emotional the maturity of a small child. Let that sink in.
3
My deepest sympathy to the Iranian people for all the hardships they are enduring. A direct cause of their leaders and interference of the likes of Donald Trump and his Hardliners.
Unfortunately Trump does not know what he is doing or saying. An ignorant bully on the world stage, This is only the begging of a steep decline with Mike Pompeo,
Steven Miller, John Bolton and the other hosts of extremists egging him on. We are living in very dangerous times.
1
Somebody give Trump a map that includes the Strait of Hormuz and then tell him to shut up. He's angered our allies, alarmed the Chinese and, just what we need, threatens a war with Iran. The man's faculties are incomplete obviously.
Trumps tweets are meant for 2 targets and the apparent target (in this case Iran) is secondary. Trump is targeting targeting his base who believe his bullying is standing up to external threats in the world. There is no nuance here! The other primary target is the press. Trump loves to fight with the press because it gets him the attention from his base and distractors that he so desperately craves. All this are hallmark of a man with a severe personality disorder. To end this litteral madness, vote this fall to replace the Congress with Democrats to put a check on Trump... then vote him out in 2020.
2
Trump can't seem to get along with anybody. Why is that?
2
@Stevem
Can you point to a time in this sad man's life when he was not locked into battle with someone or other?
Ive never been divorced, never been sued, never sued anyone, never been bankrupted, never grabbed anyone, never cheated, never paid anyone to keep quiet...
I wouldnt be allowed to run for public office in this country with a resume like that. Yet the privilege of being the most powerful man on earth has been bestowed upon an individual who wouldnt make it past his probation period in any company I know of.
2
Fire and Fury tag line written for him and delivered with his Mussolini stance resulted in an escalation in North Korea's missile program. Lord knows what his play acting threats stemming from his lack of knowledge about everything, except cheating contractors and siphoning funds, will lead to. North Korea and Russia played him like a cat chasing its tail. Can Iran's shot at entertaining themselves be far away.
2
It's time for his adult supervision to take his phone away.
3
Here we go. The Trump cult mistakes talking tough with actual actions that make any sense. It is, after all, how many of them live their own lives. They love it even if it yields nothing substantive or positive, so we will get more of it from this man. It's a national disgrace.
6
All caps really won't get the point across. How will he be taken seriously when he forget the angry face emoji?
4
I realize his sword-rattling is supposed to signal his strength, but it also really highlights what a “pass” he’s giving Putin/Russia. (Oh, I’m sorry, was I supposed to be distracted from that?)
1
Iran doesn't fear Trump. They see his low approval numbers and the disrespect shown to him by foreign leaders. They know his bark is just that. As spineless as the Republican Congress is, they won't go along with declaring war on Iran.
Republican Congresspeople and citizens: what is it going to take? At what point will you get your decency and basic human values back and remove this man from office?
3
If the Republicans let Trump start a war with Iran simply to "Wag the Dog," we should pass a law that drafts every one of their children and grand children to be the first ones sent to the front to fight.
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Around the world the reaction to the president's blathering is likely something along the line of, "There's that buzzing noise again."
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Not surprisingly, many of the commenters side with the unelected mullahs over the elected American President. Need I say more on the mentality of "the progressive resistance"?
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@mdo
Pointing out the idiocy of our Electoral College prez does not equate to siding with unelected mullahs.
Uh, oh. Last time we went through this "I'll blow you up first -- my weapon is bigger" routine with North Korea, we ended up with a personal meeting between Kim and Trump and a deescalation of conflict -- and Democrats' faux outrage over the outreach. Is there a personal meeting with Ayatollah Khameini and Trump in the not too distant future? If so, will we hear the same type of faux outrage from the same people who praised Obama for doing the same thing? Will they claim such a meeting is doing Putin's bidding?
He should have drawn a red line in the sand then given them another $150 billion in cash.
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@TravelingProfessor
You're confounding two different countries.
The red line in the sand was Syria, remember? And when Assad crossed it, instead of having to start another horrible war, Obama managed to deploy a highly effective multilateral diplomacy strategy, which had the EXACT same results without having any of the costs for the US: most chemical weapons were destroyed, and there were no more attacks for years.
The $150 billion cash, however, was:
1. not cash at all, but money on frozen bank accounts.
2. Iranian money. It had been frozen because Iran refused to engage in an international deal where it gives up trying to make nuclear weapons. Logically, once that deal IS signed into law, Iranians get access to their frozen assets again.
THAT is what real diplomacy can achieve, when it's done in close collaboration with all of our allies and led by real experts in deal making ...
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@TravelingProfessor - Hey, it worked with North Korea... or so Trump thinks.
@Jim Remember, it took 2 years after the meeting in Reykjavik for the wall to come down.
Hey, this is a good way to take the public's attention away from the Putin fiasco.... start a war with Iran!
Get Trump out of the White House. He is not mentally stable and he is a threat to our country (much more so than Iran).
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If I thought Trump could actually read I would say he's been reading too many comic books. From the purple tone of his tweet it appears he thinks he's some kind of superhero, lol. Of course, like all bullies he talks big when he's threatening someone smaller than him. But when he is confronted with someone as big or tougher than him, like say, Putin and Russia, he's as meek as a little lamb. "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo . . . accused Iran's leadership of widespread corruption at the expense of its citizens' welfare". Supposedly he called the Iranian leadership a "kleptocracy". This is rich considering we have Trump, the biggest sleaze businessman in American history, Scott Pruitt, Wilbur Ross, Kushner, Steve Mnuchin, etc., etc., and a government that is rolling back every single policy and regulation that protects the ordinary American, our health care, our savings, our air, our water, the future of our planet, all for the profit of the few. Methinks this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
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I nearly fell out of bed this morning when I heard a prominent journalist first admit that "now Trump has us all talking about this tweet", and then ended by saying "now we all have to figure what what he meant by this tweet."
No, there is nothing to figure out! It means nothing, just like all fo the other tweets. It's just more empty bluster from a, insecure, childish bully.
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We are now officially at "Cap-Lock 1". Which means that the Defense Department and the Pentagon are once again scratching their heads, wondering where Trump is heading this time.
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