US president Donald Trump wants to create an automatic retaliation policy if Iran manages to assassinate him. The erratic US leader’s idea emerged as Iran and the US returned to open hostilities around a month into the Oman-brokered negotiating period to end the war.
Associated Press (AP) reported on 13 July:
President Donald Trump is suggesting he has left standing orders for the U.S. military to destroy Iran “ at levels they’ve never seen before” if Tehran follows through on its long-standing threats to kill him.
The news agency added that:
the U.S. government has no way to create an automatic, preauthorized “dead man’s switch” that would prompt immediate retaliation.
In the vanishingly unlikely event that Trump were killed by Iran — or died for any other reason — vice-president JD Vance would become president. In such a scenario:
Vance could do exactly what Trump called for, though there also is a chance he could decide not to follow his predecessor’s orders — or offer a direct response in a different way.
AP said:
Trump nonetheless posted on his social media website Saturday that Iran had made threats “to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate” him and he said 1,000 “missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat.”
Rumours of an assassination attempt emerged on 9 July. The Wall Street Journal said that new intelligence:
indicated a fresh Iranian plan to kill President Trump, people familiar with the matter said, a finding that would mark an escalation in the war between Washington and Iran.
Trump said at the time:
They want to take out the U.S. leader—me. I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.
The intelligence reportedly originated from Israel. No evidence that the claim is true has been produced. No source was named and the Israelis have not given any further comment.
Flailing Trump still can’t escape Iran mire
The bizarre ‘kill-switch’ plan came as the US-Iran peace process, such as it was, seemed to be falling apart fully. The two countries have exchanged missiles in recent days and Trump posted on social media:
We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.
The US and Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offeringunprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has sincestated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there isno evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.
The US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked — creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has made clear the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation as the front man for US imperial decline.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
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