Andrew Dickens: What would happen if Trump destroyed Iran?

Midday today, our time, is the deadline set by President Trump for the reopening of the Straits of Hormuz. Failure to do so will apparently be punished by a widespread bombing campaign on civilian targets in Iran.  

Of course, for all of us, this is a bit worrying and a little bit horrifying. I had been saying around the office today, welcome to the end of civilization. I said that to Murray Kirkness, the editor of the Herald, and he said, not all civilizations, Andrew, and that's true. Iran is facing the gun.  

The threat on civilian targets appears to be the very definition of a war crime, but it seems as though the President doesn't care, as he thunders at the mullahs from his warm and cozy lectern safe in Washington. Iranian civilization will die at 8pm Eastern Standard Time if they don't comply. That's not my words. That's not me summarizing what the President said, that's what the President said.  

That's one of the weird aspects of the past two days – the President's language. There has been no stirring patriotic defence of liberty and democracy, and that we have a higher cause to pursue. There has been no grave, hushed tones outlining the scale of events that have deserved a mission that has been called Epic Fury. No, what we've had is an 80-year-old perma-tanned man in a boxy suit sitting at a lectern calling his opponents crazy bastards and promising an end of civilisation day. It's like a third-rate war movie. It's the product of a man who's spent 10,000 days watching bad reality TV and not a statesman who's studied leadership through the ages. I've never heard anyone say anything like this ever before. Not even crazy guys like Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong-un. They don't say stuff this crazy. This is pretty crazy.  

I actually find the President's intemperate language to be quite off-putting, but maybe some find it refreshing. And maybe it's something that people have waited to hear for a long time because we've been battling against this Iranian regime for 47 long years. I don't know, you tell me. The President's language over the last two days, does that worry, scare, and horrify you? Or do you go, no, we need a strong man and finally people are saying what needs to be said?  

Meanwhile, the so-called crazy bastards, Iran, who indeed are utterly loathsome people and a dreadful regime, they seem to be taking it like a martyr, putting their people in harm's way as human shields, turning the other cheek, almost wanting the worst to happen so that the world might see them as the victims of a lunatic, not that they have been lunatics for 47 years and deserve some retribution. They haven't railed with bad language, all they said is President Trump is deluded. They seem to be the grown-ups in the room, but that seems weird because we know they are evil, crazy bastards.  

The world is used to Trump's bargaining methods. He starts hard and high and then he negotiates down. He's done it enough for the term taco to be created: TACO is an acronym for Trump Always Chickens Out. Will he chicken out today? Realizing that he's been threatening – I think this is the third threat he's made to Iran. So how many times can you cry wolf before you feel forced and obligated to do what many people think could be quite unthinkable? Are we three hours away from a cataclysmic attack on a sovereign nation by the United States of America?  

And if the worst does happen, one question that has not been discussed is how will Iran react? If this was happening to you, if America came and took out the Auckland Harbour Bridge, how would you want to react to this situation? Would you set up a human shield, turn the other cheek, and go, oh yeah, look at that, he's crazy, and take the hit? How will Iran react? The so-called home of terrorism, which isn't this why this has all happened? It's ended up being framed as a battle for the Strait of Hormuz, but remember, this all happened because Israel and the United States wanted to remove a regime. It was regime change. It was to get rid of the crazy pastors to save the women and children of Iran – that's what the conflict is actually about. Now they've transmogrified it into being all about opening up the Strait of Hormuz, but that's a symptom. That's not the actual cause of the illness, of the antagonism between the two sides. That's a symptom of it.  

So, how would Iran react? They are the so-called home of terrorism. They've had 47 years to prepare for this conflict. I would presume they have terror cells everywhere. Do you think that if this happens today at midday and bridges get taken out and power plants get taken out and Iranian civilians get wiped out, do you think Iran's just going to sit there and say, told you so? Or do you think it could cause a new age of terrorism? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Morning's podcast from
News Talks. He'd be.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Midday today. Our time is the deadline set by President
Trump for the reopening of the Straits of Horn Moves.
Failure to do so will apparently be punished by a
widespread bombing campaign on civilian targets in Iran. Of course,
for all of us, this is a bit worrying and
a little bit horrifying. I had been saying around the
office today, welcome to the end of civilization. And I

(00:34):
said that to Murray Cookness, the editor of the Herald,
and he said, not all civilizations, Andrew, and that's true.
Iran is facing the gun. The threat on civilian targets
appears to be the very definition of a war crime.
But it seems as though the President doesn't care. As
he thunders at the molars from his warm and cozy
lecturn safe in Washington, Iranian civilization will die at eight

(00:55):
pm Eastern Standard time if they don't comply. That's not
my words, that's not me summarizing what the president said.
That's what the President had said. And that's one of
the weird aspects of the past two days is the
President sidence language. There has been no stirring, patriotic defense
of liberty and democracy and that we have a higher
cause to pursue. There has been no grave, hushed tones

(01:17):
outlining the scale events that have deserved a mission that
has been called epic fury. Now, what we've had is
an eighty year old permititand man in a boxy suit
sitting at a lector and calling his opponents crazy bastards
and promising an end of civilization day. It's like a
third rate war movie. It's the product of a man

(01:40):
who's spent ten thousand days watching bad reality TV, and
not a statesman who's studied leadership through the ages. I've
never heard anyone say anything like this ever before, not
even crazy guys like Vladimir Putin or Kinjong Un. They
don't say stuff this crazy. This is pretty crazy, yes
or no, oh eight hundred and eighty, ten eighty. I
actually find the presence in temperate language to be quite

(02:03):
off putting, but maybe unfind it refreshing, and maybe it's
something that people have waited to hear for a long time,
because we've been battling against this Aranian regime for forty
seven long years. I don't know. You tell me, is
the president's language over the last two days. Does that worry,
scare and horrify you or do you go no, we

(02:25):
need a strong man. And finally people are saying what
needs to be said. Meanwhile, the so called crazy bastards Iran,
who indeed are utterly loathsome people and a dreadful regime,
they seem to be taking it like a martyr, putting
their people in harm's way as human shields, turning the
other cheek, almost wanting the worst to happen so that

(02:47):
the world might see them as the victims of a lunatic,
not that they have been lunatics for forty seven years
and deserve some retribution. They haven't railed with bad language.
All they said is President Trump is deluded. They seem
to be the grown ups in the room. But that
seems weird because we know they are evil, crazy bastards. Anyway,

(03:08):
this is all if it happens, and we don't know
if it's going to happen or not. And do you
think it's going to happen? Oh, eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
Now the world is used to Trump's bargaining methods. He
starts hard and high, and then he negotiates down. He's
done it enough for the term taco to be created.
Taco is an acronym for Trump always chickens out? Will

(03:32):
he chicken out to day? Realizing that he's been threatening?
I think this is the third threat he's made to Iran?
So how many times can you cry wolf before you
feel forced and obligated to do what many people think
could be quite unthinkable? Are we three hours away from

(03:55):
a cataclysmic attack on a sovereign nation by the United
States of America? What do you think? Oh, eight hundred
eighty ten eighty is the number the phone? And if
the worst does happen. One question that has not been
discussed is how will Iran react if this was happening

(04:16):
to you, if America came and took out the Auckland
Harbor Bridge. How would you want to react to this situation?
Would you set up a human shield to in the
other cheek and go oh yeah, look at that, he's
crazy and take the hit? How will Iran react? The
so called home of terrorism, which isn't This is why
this has all happened. It's ended up being framed as

(04:37):
a battle for the straits of horn moves. But remember
this all happened because Israel and the United States wanted
to remove a regime. It was regime change, it was
to get rid of the crazy pastes, to save the
women and children of Iran. That's what the conflict is
actually about. But now they've transmographied it into being all

(04:58):
about opening up the straits of her moves. But that's
a symptom. That's not the actual cause of the illness
of the the antagonism between the two sides, that's a
symptom of it. So you know, how would Iran react?
They are the so called Homer terrorism. They've had forty
seven years to prepare for this conflict. I would presume

(05:18):
they have terror cells everywhere. Do you think that if
this happens today at midday and bridges get taken out
and power plants get taken out and Iranian civilians get
wiped out, do you think Iran's just going to sit
there and say told you so? Or do you think
it could cause a new age of terrorism.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
For more from Kerry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
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