United States President Donald Trump gleefully reported to the world that he had bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, and that it was a “spectacular military success.”
In an address to Americans, Trump said “there will be either peace or there will be tragedy in Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days.”
Earlier, Trump posted on Truth Social that the US had attacked three nuclear sites in Iran, “including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan…a full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.”
Amid all this, he somehow found a way to boast: “There is not another military in the World that could have done this,” he said, ironically adding, in bold letters, “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE.”
A subsequent post brought Mr. Trump’s propensity for sweeping, grandiose claims to fore, even as the US is not technically a party to the Israel-Iran conflict.
Quite predictably, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu said Trump’s move will change history. He also invoked the phrase “First comes strength, then comes peace” in referring to the American president’s move. Netanyahu said Mr. Trump acted with a lot of strength.
Did he?
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said the U.S. strikes on Iran represent a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region, posing a serious threat to global peace and security.
“There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world,” Guterres said in a statement as reported by Reuters.
“We strongly condemn the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which constitutes a dangerous escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The aggression seriously violates the UN Charter and international law and plunges humanity into a crisis with irreversible consequences.”
Many other world leaders have expressed similar sentiments.
The rest of the world will only be able to grasp the full extent of the US’ move in the coming days. For us Filipinos, our foremost concern is the safety of our compatriots in that part of the world. But this is not something we could neatly dismiss as something remote. The potential consequences are terrifying — and dangerously close to home.
For a leader – and a human being — such as Trump, an appeal for calm and logic will be too tame. His advisers who truly know the issue, its context and repercussions, now have to frame the issue differently for him. They have to spell it out in terms of what he would gain from not making this about the US, and to warn him about the consequences of escalation on his pursuit of personal glory.
Alas, Trump might only listen if his desire for peace is greater than his obsession with acclaim.