Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has sharply criticised threatening comments by President Donald Trump about Iran, saying the language used could amount to the “prelude to becoming one of the greatest war criminals in history”.
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Kerry made the remarks during an interview with Jen Psaki on the programme “The Briefing”, where he said the president’s recent social media statements about Iran were among the most alarming he had seen from the administration.
Criticism of rhetoric
Kerry pointed to posts by Trump on the platform Truth Social, including one containing profanity earlier in the week and another warning that Iran’s “whole civilization will die”.
The former secretary of state said the wording left him “shocked”, adding that such statements were inconsistent with the international role the United States had historically played.
He said the country had long been associated with efforts to defend democratic values abroad, referencing the U.S. role in liberating Europe from fascism during the Second World War. Using language that suggested the destruction of an entire civilisation, he argued, risked undermining those principles.
“When you kill a civilization,” Kerry said, “you are doing something precisely against all of the international norms, standards, values and hopes and aspirations.”
References to past conflicts
Kerry also invoked his own experience during the Vietnam War. After serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during the war, he became an anti-war activist, a background he said shaped his views about the responsibilities of leaders during times of conflict.
Speaking in the interview, Kerry argued that political leaders must be transparent when discussing the prospect of war, particularly when decisions involve matters of life and death.
He also rejected claims from the Trump administration that Iran posed an imminent nuclear threat.
“There just wasn’t an imminent threat,” Kerry said, noting that officials had previously argued that recent strikes had already destroyed Iran’s nuclear programme.
Rising tensions before negotiations
Trump’s comments came as diplomatic efforts were under way to reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran. Talks between Iranian representatives and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance were scheduled to take place in Pakistan.
In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said the United States was prepared to resume military action if negotiations failed.
“We’re going to find out in about 24 hours,” he said, adding that the U.S. military was preparing weapons and equipment in case a new round of strikes became necessary.
He said that if a deal was not reached, the United States would use those weapons “very effectively”.
Strait of Hormuz dispute
Earlier in the week, Trump had issued an ultimatum to Iran demanding a peace agreement and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, setting a deadline late Tuesday evening.
A deal was reportedly reached shortly before the deadline, leading to a two-week ceasefire and the reopening of the shipping route, a critical corridor for global oil supplies.
However, Iran closed the strait again the following day, citing Israeli military operations in Lebanon. Iranian officials and Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif have said the ceasefire should also apply to Lebanon.
That interpretation has been rejected by both the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting the continuing disagreements surrounding the fragile diplomatic effort.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 12 April 2026
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