Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the declaration of independence this summer, this is language which shames the office that Mr Trump holds and the administration he leads. But given the craven complicity of the team that Mr Trump has surrounded himself with, the prospects of that are remote. Despite Mr Trump’s vainglorious claims to have annihilated its military capacity to resist, that is not an empty threat – as the closure of the strait of Hormuz itself illustrates. Nato allies have rightly refused to endorse Mr Trump’s folly by joining the war, recognising both the absence of a coherent strategic plan and any legal justification. It appears Mr Trump is making it up as he goes along.

Source: The Guardian April 06, 2026 18:16 UTC