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Trump threatened a civilisation – We must respond to nuclear threats

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Melissa Parke, 8 April 26

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump threatened to escalate the US and Israeli war on Iran to the point that, in his own words, “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” Vice President JD Vance further warned that the United States might have to use “tools it hasn’t used so far”. These were barely veiled references to nuclear weapons.

Mercifully, Trump stepped back before the deadline. A temporary ceasefire was brokered, with Iran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks. The new deadline is April 21.Click to teach Gmail this conversation is not important

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is alarmed and appalled by President Trump’s threat. It warrants unequivocal condemnation by all who value peace, international law, and human rights. The brokered temporary ceasefire, while welcome in itself, does not change the fact that a nuclear threat was made by the US president. The logic of one person having the ability to destroy an entire people, at any time, for any reason, remains fully intact.

But there is an alternative. 99 states have joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. They have made a categorical choice to condemn any and all nuclear threats, whether implicit or explicit, and irrespective of the circumstances. They are working actively towards the elimination of nuclear weapons. Those who know best the horror that nuclear threats present are actively protesting against them. ANT-Hiroshima held protests at the Atomic Bomb Dome yesterday to call for an end to the hostilities.

Nuclear weapons are not a force of nature, they are a political choice. And that means we, too, have a choice. Demand that your government condemns Trump’s threat. Demand that it makes clear: nuclear threats are unacceptable. And if your country has not yet joined the TPNW, demand that it does so.

April 12, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized