Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on April 8, welcomed the ceasefire in the Middle East between the United States, Israel, and Iran, while criticising the rhetoric of Donald Trump, Reuters reports.
Albanese described the ceasefire as a positive step but expressed concern over Trump’s earlier statements. The US president agreed to a two-week truce less than two hours before the deadline by which Tehran was expected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for shipping, or face strikes on civilian infrastructure.
In an interview with Sky News, Albanese said he considered such rhetoric inappropriate for a US president. “I don't think it's appropriate to use language such as that from the president of the United States and I think it will cause some concern,” he said.
Previously, Trump had warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if his demands were not met, but later sharply reversed his position by agreeing to the ceasefire.
The Australian prime minister had initially supported US strikes against Iran but has expressed growing concern over the escalation of the Middle East conflict in recent weeks.
