A former senior US government official has said Donald Trump is “in a panic” because the Iran war is not progressing as he had hoped.
Karen von Hippel, who spent nearly six years as a senior adviser in the Department of State’s bureau on counter-terrorism, spoke out after Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not re-opened within 48 hours.
That came barely a day after he said America was preparing to “wind down” its operations in the region.Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, von Hippel cast doubt on whether the US president would actually go through with his latest threat.
She said: “It’s certainly not the first time we’ve heard him make ultimatums that he doesn’t act on.
We’ve heard that throughout this entire term so far.“I think he’s in a bit of a panic because he thought the war would go better than it has.“Just as he said ‘we’re winding it down’, they’re sending thousands of Marines over and the Israelis say they’re going to ramp it up over the next few weeks, so it’s hard to know what’s going on.
”Around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran has been attacking tankers trying to use it since the war began three weeks ago.That has led to a spike in the price of oil, triggering a potential global economic crisis as energy costs soar.
In a pist on Truth Social, Trump said: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”Communities secretary Steve Reed refused to be drawn on whether the UK government agreed with the president.
He told Sky News: “I think you need to ask President Trump about the things that President Trump is talking about.”
