The President has been accused of “genocidal taunts” by the Iranian foreign minister after a strongly worded Tweet threatening the “official end” of the Middle Eastern country if it was hostile towards the US – warning it to “never threaten the United States again!”
Trump’s threat was a response to the firing of a rocket allegedly targeting the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, the day before.
It has certainly been a tense month for the US-Iran relationship. A few weeks ago, the US sent an aircraft carrier and bombers to the Persian Gulf (which borders Iran), saying it was responding to signs that Iran could be planning an attack against US forces.
But after the President’s Tweet, it doesn’t appear that things are about to get better, with the Iranian President saying he won’t speak to Trump under current conditions.
The threatening Tweet seems to be a back flip from Trump on his previous attitudes on dealing with the country. In 2013, he criticised President Barack Obama by saying the former leader would end up attacking Iran “because of his inability to negotiate properly – not skilled!” (pictured inset).
In that case, let’s hope his own negotiation skills are better.
