On the brink of brinksmanship
AP News, April 7, 2026
The Trump threat that shocked the world
By MAKAYLA GRAY and ELI OKUN
04/07/2026 Politico
The post that shocked the world: “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 Truth Social. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
The stunning statement from Trump could put U.S. forces in legal jeopardy if they comply, experts and former military officials told WaPo’s Adam Taylor and Ellen Nakashima. One called Trump’s threat the “very definition of terrorism.”
Siren: “Gulf Arab countries are in the dark. The U.S.’s European allies are clueless. Even people close to the White House are unsure what’s next,” POLITICO’s Megan Messerly and colleagues write. Trump’s dire threat “has some fearing the worst case scenario: that the president would use nuclear weapons against Iran.”