Trump's loud statements usually mean nothing - expert

RIGA - US President Donald Trump's loud public statements usually mean nothing, political scientist and observer of US politics Martins Hirss told LETA.

Trump warned on Tuesday that "a whole civilization will die tonight" in Iran if Tehran rejected the US ultimatum.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump said on his Truth Social platform. The US President did not elaborate, but he has previously said that the US could bomb bridges, power plants, and other civilian infrastructure, bringing Iran back to the Stone Age.

However, as Hirss noted, Trump's statements and actions are often two opposite things. "You can listen to what he says, but with a great deal of caution. This seems to be the fourth time that Trump has threatened Iran with huge consequences," said Hirss, adding that there has been no significant escalation.

According to him, Trump sounds stressed. There are several possible explanations for this, as Hirss points out. One of them is that Trump is now being described in a similar way to the previous US President, Joe Biden, before the last presidential election. That is, he is old, senile, and is not really in touch with what is going on.

The expert also notes that Trump has already "messed up" some things in his previous presidential term. For example, the death rate from Covid-19 was very high in the US because Trump did not recognise the dangers of the virus.

Even now, according to Hirss, Trump has messed up a lot of things. This includes many of his closest aides having no foreign policy expertise, and Trump has also fired several generals. "He is trying to push his own foreign policy without listening to foreign policy experts", says Hirss.

Trump is now under stress from all sides - from Europe, from Republicans in Congress, as prices are going up, so voters are likely be unhappy in the mid-term elections this fall. The US administration is also under pressure from other countries, says Hirss.

He believes that Trump is now losing his war. Although the US is militarily stronger, Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, which is a huge trump card in Iran's hands.

Hirss is cautious in his comments on whether Trump's social media posts could lead to anything extraordinary. He points out that there is of course no way of knowing, but recalls the phrase "TACO Trump" or "Trump Always Chickens Out". "His promises, including his threats, don't really carry any weight," says Hirss.

The expert believes that this is also why several European countries have refused to help the US in the Middle East war, because there is a risk that Trump will forget about it again in a few weeks anyway.

As reported, Trump warned last Sunday that Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. Washington time on Tuesday (3 p.m. Wednesday).

On Monday, Trump said that the temporary ceasefire proposal that has been floated is insufficient.

Iran has rejected US pressure and its media have reported that the Iranian authorities want not just a ceasefire but a complete end to the war.

The US President announced in Washington on Monday that, starting Tuesday night, US forces would destroy "every bridge in Iran" and smash "every power plant" in the country, which many experts believe would be a blatant war crime.

US and Israeli warplanes have been bombing Iran continuously since February 28, and on Tuesday the US and Israel carried out air strikes on infrastructure, including bridges, a highway and railway.