IT is a pity that the conduct of international relations has come to this: the president of the United States is threatening a sovereign nation (Iran) via an angry tweet — that too in all caps — using unstatesmanlike language wholly unsuitable to a leader of a world power. But as Donald Trump’s tenure has shown thus far, name-calling and conducting sensitive diplomacy through Twitter is all par for the course. Mr Trump fulminated that Iran should “never, ever threaten the United States again” or else the Islamic Republic would suffer consequences “few throughout history have ever suffered before”. It seems the US president was miffed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s earlier comments that should the US go to war with his country, it would be the “mother of all wars” while adding that peace with Tehran was “the mother of all peace”. While world leaders, especially in times of tension, are known to make hyperbolic and ultranationalistic speeches, these comments are troubling considering the current situation in the Middle East. Unfortunately, many in the US administration appear to be looking for a confrontation with Iran; a little before Mr Trump’s bombastic tweet, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he wanted all states to stop buying Iranian oil by November (effectively declaring economic war on Tehran). Expectedly, the harsh comments emanating from Washington have engendered hard-line responses from the Iranian establishment, including the supreme leader and commanders of the Pasdaran.

It seems that there are very few sane voices left in Washington where the Iran file is concerned. In fact, many of those who cheered earlier American wars in the Middle East (eg National Security Adviser John Bolton) are back in the saddle and close to Mr Trump who is not exactly known for his deft diplomacy and understanding of global affairs. However, Mr Rouhani was not entirely wrong when he said that a US-Iranian conflict would be the “mother of all wars”; certainly, the likelihood of such a conflagration swallowing up an already volatile region is not remote. While Iran’s European interlocutors are working to save what is left of the nuclear deal and trying to find a modus vivendi, America is on the warpath. However, to save the nezam, the Iranian establishment appears ready reply in kind if threatened. That is why for those who want a peaceful global order it is imperative that this conflict be averted, and Washington take the lead by toning down its rhetoric.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2018