Former counterterrorism official predicts collapse of global order as Trump's Iran deadline nears

Over the last three days, President Donald Trump has, on multiple occasions, threatened to bring Iran back to the "Stone Age" if it failed to open the all-important Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. ET, Tuesday. The threats come even as both the President and his Cabinet members have said that fruitful negotiations are ongoing with a more reasonable regime in Tehran. As the deadline approaches, uncertainty about a prolonged escalation and its subsequent impact on trade and energy prices worldwide has alarmed U.S. lawmakers, world leaders, and analysts.

The President’s latest threat of a "whole civilization" dying has cast further doubt on any possible de-escalation as discussions via mediators Pakistan, Türkiye, and Egypt continue. In a post on Truth Social, the President wrote, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will." Many have criticized the President's statement, saying that any action of targeting civilians would amount to war crimes. Joe Kent, who served in the Trump administration until just a few weeks ago, added that such an action poses a threat to the U.S. 

"Trump believes he is threatening Iran with destruction, but it is America that now stands in danger," the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) wrote in a post on X, adding, "If he attempts to eradicate Iranian civilization, the United States will no longer be viewed as a stabilizing force in the world, but as an agent of chaos—effectively ending our status as the world's greatest superpower." Claiming that such an action would "upend our economy and shatter the global order," Kent urged the president to "pursue serious negotiations rather than reckless rage and destruction."

Kent, a former soldier who served 11 combat tours, abruptly resigned from his position, claiming that he could not in "good conscience" support the war in Iran as Tehran posed no imminent threat to the U.S. At the time, he had claimed that the war was started "due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby." Shortly after his resignation, Kent found himself the central subject of an FBI investigation for allegedly sharing classified information with unauthorised people.

Meanwhile, as Trump's deadline nears, there have been reports confirming attacks on military installations in Iran’s Kharg Island. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also announced that Israeli forces successfully struck railway infrastructure being used by Iranian forces. Tehran, on the other hand, announced in a public message that they, too, intend to escalate attacks against neighbouring nations with U.S. facilities.